Conversation Starters
by Ampersandre
Summary: As we know, love takes time and work. Trauma and warfare, while optional, can be inferred. This is the story of how two gems met, fell in love and became the fusion we know today. Rated T for many deaths and other adult themes.
1. Chapter 1: Assigned Escort

Conversation Starters

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 1: Assigned Escort

Ruby summoned and de-summoned her weighted forearm bracer a dozen times; a nervous habit she developed from anticipating sparring matches with bigger gems. Unfortunately, she was facing a bigger challenge then the typical minute in the ring. The automatic door to Jasper's office slid open and an irate-looking yellow gem stepped out, looking smugly above the little red gem.

" _Ugh, Mental-class gems"_ Ruby thought, following the sharply-dressed gem with her eyes, _"if she ribbed Jasper, that's only going to make things harder for me."_ She took a deep breath, and stepped in.

"Commander Jasp-"

"What do you want, squirt?" Commander Jasper was leaning back in a chair, reading through some sort of report, "Can't you see the big gems are busy?"

Ruby grimaced," Yes. I **know** you're busy. I know there's a war going on and I KNOW I'm still on the micro-reserve, even though I have applied to front line duty five times now. What is your deal?!"

The bigger orange gem stood, still facing away. She sighed, "Look tiny, if the earth rebellion smashed every other brute-class gem we have left, I still wouldn't recommend you for front line. You're tiny, you're weak, and you'll last a second down there, maybe. Why don't you just-"

"I don't care!" Ruby slammed her fist on Jasper's metal desk, denting it a bit, "It's what I was made to do, and I want to do it!" She glared holes into Jasper's head.

The commander turned around smirking, "you are NOT going to drop this, are you?!" the orange gem circled around the desk menacingly, "you're going to keep nagging me, and annoying me, and ticking me off until I throw you at that crumby wet planet myself."

Jasper closed in on Ruby, close enough to kick the little gem across the room. Ruby tensed but held her ground.

"Am I right, tiny?" The bigger gem smirked wickedly. Ruby nodded, meeting her gaze and refusing to back down.

Jasper's face fell, but only a bit, "well you're in luck. I'm being promoted to general tomorrow, but before then, I need to assign a gem to an escort mission on earth. If you complete this mission, I'll assign you right to the front lines." Jasper extended a hand smirking, "deal?"

Ruby considered this for a moment. She had proven again and again she was worthy, in and out of the sparring ring. She didn't _want_ to babysit some weak mental gem, but on the other hand she'd get a good look at the planet she'd be fighting on. And she'd also get to show those uppity upper-caste gems whom the boss was, always a plus.

"Deal." She shook Jasper's hand with her non-gem hand, matching her vicious smirk.

/

Sapphire read the last report of the day and filled out her final evaluation: 75% success rate, 25% zero-sum rate, 0% failure rate. "This is terribly boring Bowenite. Must I really do this every day?"

The Larger gem beside her placed a yellow-green, slender hand on Sapphire's shoulder, "Dearest Sapphire, you have a gift. It is good that you can use it to help the empire." She tossed her blonde hair aside and turned, "please be patient with it."

The tiny blue gem sighed and stood up from her tiny desk, "I suppose I can look at it that way…" Sapphire approached a window gazing over the city, her poofy blue dress crinkling with every step. She watched the streets below fill with ranks of soldiers crossing town to a warp pad on the edge of the metropolis of gems.

"I just feel like I am calculating pointless deaths." A single tear rolled down Sapphire's face as she foresaw, in dark detail, the potential demise of every Brute-class gem in the ranks below.

"Oh Sapphire," Bowenite wiped away the tear, kneeling beside her, "please try not to pity them. Brute classes are slow, and stupid. What we know is senseless violence, they call glory in battle. Most of those gems want to die, and the rebels they fight deserve to die."

Sapphire looked down, her face darkening "I want to retire to my quarters now."

"I-very well then." Bowenite's green eyes filled with concern, but she closed them, "you may go now." She watched Sapphire climb the Alabaster spiral steps in the center of this work chamber, up and away from her guidance.

As she climbed higher, Sapphire's mind clung to Bowenite's words. _"The thought that a gem could WANT to die."_ She scoffed. Sometimes she felt worldlier than the bigger mental gems she knew, even wiser. Perhaps she'd never left the Seer tower, and perhaps she never would; but she felt deep within her gem that brute-classes were not the dumb chattel Bowenite played them up to be.

"If I could just… talk to one…" Sapphire mused out loud, "If I could talk to anyone outside…."

She shook her head, willing the impossible thought away as she entered her private, perfumed chamber of soft, red pillows. She curled into one and squeezed another, smaller one close to her physical form, and then she sang soft, sweet songs so herself until she fell into a deep meditative state.

Sapphire heard the arguing some time later, in the dark of night.

"No, no, we need a true seer, not a dream reader like you!" a gruff, unknown voice growled from the floor under Sapphire's chamber.

" _Are they talking about Bowenite?"_ Sapphire wondered to herself, she stood up and quietly tip toed to the edge of the spiral stairs. She spotted Bowenite, white vestments on yellow gem near the edge of the stairs. Surrounding her were several brute-class gems, some as high in rank as Admirals; still far lower in rank then Bowenite, but currently backed by the Diamond Authority itself during this time of war.

Bowenite scoffed, "I told you I need another month before the kindergarten can guarantee a seer gem when I first made my proposal to your com-"

"And we told YOU that we're rushing the proposal timetable to a week! The Earthling rebels are on the move and we know you have a seer gem now!"

Bowenite scoffed, turning up her nose, "if you _knew_ anything you'd know I can't send her. She is already-" the bullish green gem cut her off again

"We have papers transferring her from report forecasting to the front. Hand her over."

Sapphire was intrigued now. These strange brute class gems were trying to bully her mentor for no known reason; she stepped a ways down the stairs, curiosity piqued.

"Well, she's NOT here." Bowenite crossed her arms and glares, "and I do not give you consent to search. No go!" The brutes snarled and went to turn when Sapphire took another step and, for a brief moment slipped.

"eep!" the blue gem shrieked loudly, her voice echoing through the tower as she caught herself on the railing. The gems below her all turned and stared at her, Bowenite's face locked in pure horror.

"Sapphire, go back upstairs. Run, now!" the panic in her voice fell on deaf ears as the brute class gems raced over to the dazed seer gem and subdued her, restraining every limb roughly as she struggled and panicked.

"B-Bowenite," she yelped, tearing up in frustration, "help me!"

"Let go of her you savages!" Bowenite begged, she herself being subdued by soldier gems.

The green Admiral gem rolled her eyes "You'll be reviewed before the diamond authority for treason. And this one," she held up Sapphire's chin for emphasis," is going to the front, whether she likes it or not. Gems, move out!" the soldiers scaled down the tower and separated on the streets, Bowenite and Sapphire sobbing and begging not to be pulled apart.

"Please," sapphire whimpered, seeing no possibility of reuniting with Bowenite in the future, "not like this..."

/

"yeah-yeah-yeah-YEAH!" Ruby emphasized every punch she threw into the sandbag with a loud yeah, smirking wildly. Today was her day, and she was going to face it with sore knuckles.

"I'm gonna be a gem-force ranger, I'm gonna live a life of danger, I'm gonna-" the midday bell rang and Ruby stayed her punching bag throttling, "alright, time to go!" she tied on her favorite red headband and trotted up the cobblestone stairs of the barracks. Her life had reached a lull since Jasper left for earth, taking her rough treatment with her. And while Ruby appreciated not having her physical form slammed against walls anymore, she was ready for action. The warp pad to earth loomed on a hill from the main city street as Ruby trotted towards it grinning.

"Come on Earth, Give me your worst!"

Sapphire's cell door clicked open around midday, a pair of guards looming in front of the exit.

"Ready to go, tiny?" one of the guards bellowed, brow cocked.

"I…. suppose." Sapphire sighed, following them passively. She had been conditioned to her compulsory mission until she knew the details perfectly. She would be escorted from the Central warp hub on earth to the Sea Spire base in empire control. From there she would continue her current wartime forecasts but on current battle strategies and general decisions. There, at least, she had the chance to prevent more deaths from occurring in real time. That's what she told herself. She took a deep, worried breath as she approached the warp pad terminal, hoping her escort would at least be nice.

Ruby climbed eagerly on the pad, searching the crowds below her for her charge.

As Sapphire approached, she spotted a small red gem with a red headband on the warp pad.

" _Is that really my escort? She's so…. Small."_ Sapphire couldn't help but giggle softly.

Ruby turned to the giggle, flashing an annoyed glare at the gem that dared to laugh at her. She caught sight of a tiny blue gem in a fluffy blue dress.

" _Wow, she looks like…. Such a priss."_ Ruby snorted, "So, am I escorting this mental class Gem?"

The brute-class gem snorted with a sense of affinity,

"yep! Be gentle with her, she's a seer." The brute gem handed over Sapphire's wrist to Ruby. Sapphire stepped carefully onto the warp pad.

"The warp pad to the Spire is just south of the warp hub, and report to General Jasper when you get there!" the guard gem saluted Ruby before walking away, which Ruby returned with a grin. It was the first time she was ever directly saluted to.

"Hi, I'm Sapphire." Sapphire said quietly as the warp gem began to glow, looking at the strange brute gem. It seemed to confirm a lot of things Bowenite said of these lesser gems, but she resolved she would try her hardest to befriend this gem.

"I'm Ruby," the red gem responded, shaking her head and getting serious again as the Warp pad carried the two gems away to the foreign planet, "now can it until we get to the Spire!"


	2. Chapter 2: Rhythm and Blues

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 2: Rhythm and Blues

" _Well, we're off to a great start."_ Sapphire thought, pouting a bit as Ruby's grip tightened and the sped through the cosmos via the warp stream. Ruby stared straight ahead, face frozen in a mask of seriousness. Sapphire decided she would take two actions going forward: assume the little red gem was just nervous or just really bad at conversation and _not_ a complete jerk and that when she was ready to talk she would respond by quote 'un-canning it'.

For her part, Ruby did kind of want to talk; the warp stream was deafeningly silent and increasingly awkward to navigate in , she had a mission and a mission is no place to chat, _"Like she'd even listen to a word out of me anyway."_ Ruby thought, letting out an annoyed huff.

And so they traveled, in silence, the long and borderline miserable journey between their home world and the foreign planet of earth. Though the warp allowed them to move a speeds approaching light speed, it still was painfully slow for the two gems. Finally the two warped to the earth terminal and Ruby trotted off the pad, marching towards their destination and dragging a weary Sapphire behind them.

"Come on, let's get to the Spire warp." She gruffly growled looking straight ahead.

Sapphire hesitated, "can I at least get my bearings?" she looked around at this new, foreign land. The sky was a strange misty blue color that Sapphire could nearly blend into, and all around the warp pad green tufts of native foliage (grass, her report called it) grew over the soft brown land and grew to a height that nearly engulfed the two gems as Ruby impatiently dragged the two along.

"You can sight see when my mission is over," Ruby rolled her eyes, "maybe."

Sapphire sighed, "Look, there's no need to be rude…. I just thought we could both use a break."

Ruby glared, "I don't NEED a break. I need to get this mission over with so I can- NOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruby let go of Sapphire's arm and sprinted ahead, eyes wide with panic.

Sapphire watched, fixed to where she had been left.

"So you can know what…?" she asked, wading closer and slowly realizing the true weight of their predicament.

The warp pad to the spire had been destroyed, presumably by rebels that wanted to disrupt empire movements. Ruby slammed her fists on its shattered remains, hissing in frustration, "d-damn stupid rebels! I'll kill them all!"

Sapphire pouted with concern, placing a gentle hand on the red gem's shoulder, "there's another warp pad south of here, you know…. It's only-"

"I know its ten Earth days away, don't remind me!" Ruby pulled a padded shoulder away, before falling in a slump upon the wreckage. She let out a defeated whine, her hands clasping her temples. Sapphire couldn't help but pity her, but also find the whole thing a bit humorous, even adorable.

"Ruby… I know this is rather improper considering our escort assignment, but I have a suggestion:" Sapphire sat next to her now growling and whining escort gem, "let's find a place to rest for a bit before setting out. Just…. Mentally prepare?"

A moment passed before Ruby responded by standing, turning west and marching straight ahead, "We're moving out. Now."

"Oh don't be so stubborn!" Sapphire shouted, racing after her escort, "and you're going the wrong way!"

/

After a few earth hours of nagging, Ruby managed to turn from west to south. Several hours later, as the blue planet turned away from its sun and plunged into darkness, Sapphire once again placed a delicate hand on Ruby's shoulder, "it's dark, and I'm certain you don't have night vision. We need to stop."

"I- don't need to stop-" Ruby panted, steps faltering, "and I- w-wont."

"Ruby, please-" Sapphire's pleas were met by deep growl from the tiny Brute gem as it turned to face her.

"Fine! I'll make us stop already!" Ruby summoned her bracer, a ten-pound forearm-covering iron that blended well with her overall red palette. Sapphire backed away at the sight of it, worried that this gem might act on her supposed 'violent tendencies'.

"Ruby, I-" Sapphire managed to squeak out before Ruby turned to face a nearby cliff side.

"Stay right there." Ruby commanded, facing the limestone block and smashing her gem weapon into it, slowly pounding out a cave for the two to seek shelter in. Sapphire watched, the looked around at the darkening world around her. Though it had its beauty and uniqueness when compared to her own world, it was still strange and foreign. And while she still had faith that Ruby would eventually warm up to her, the ache in her gem for Bowenite was still quite painful. All Sapphire wanted to do was return to her chamber in the Seer tower and hide in her pillows, and just _sing_ the night away.

"T-there!" Ruby huffed, backing away and de-summoning her weapon. The hole she had created could hold the two gems snugly, without allowing most hostile entities in after them. She crawled in and collapsed, her powers exhausted for the time being.

"Thank you." Sapphire whispered, crawling in after her and curling up, back facing her.

"Yeah… yeah." Ruby huffed, finally allowing herself to relax. This mission was wearing on her, physically and even mentally.

" _F_ _irst the stupid rebels break the stupid warp pad, then that obnoxious mental gem keeps nagging at me, 'oh, just turn right already' 'stop, we're entering a desert', until I'm ready to lose my mind, and then she makes me dig this stupid hole so she can get her beauty rest-"_ Ruby's irritated thoughts were interrupted by a soft, melodic sound beside her.

" _AND NOW SHE'S SINGING?!"_ Ruby seethed, perceiving an added insult to injury as Sapphire indulged in an art no brute-class gem was ever allowed to partake in.

"Knock it off Sapphire," Ruby growled softly, only for the singing to continue, "I mean it, quit it with the singing."

Though Ruby's voice was raising, Sapphire was losing herself in her little song. The melody she was singing was beginning to calm her, as she had hoped it would. She had not noticed the gem beside her was boiling over in fury and now looming over her.

"I SAID SHUT UP YOU MENTAL-CLASS BRAT!" Ruby barked, her voice drowning out the last notes of Sapphire's song and echoing through the limestone cave. Ruby glared down at her charge for a moment before rolling back onto her side, "remember who's in charge here…" she sighed, finally getting comfortable in the silence… until a quieter noise from sapphire reached her, gentle reserved sobbing.

"I'm sorry," Sapphire managed between little hurt sobs, "I wasn't trying to show off or anything I…"

"Sapphire, wha-"Ruby turned over a bit, surprised by this new sensation of guilt and concern.

"I'm just miserable!" Sapphire hid in her slender hands, curling in and away from her escort in sorrow, "I've lost my home and my mentor, and I thought singing would help me relax but it's just made you mad and-"

"And forget it," Ruby Rolled onto her back, breathing out softly, "forget what I said, you can sing as much as you want."

"Ruby, you-"

"I'm sorry, ok?" she growled a bit, before forcing herself to relax, "I've never done this before, I'm sorry I'm being such a jerk." She closed her eyes and sighs.

Sapphire turned and uncovered her face to look at the brute class gem beside her. She didn't seem mad any more, and though her eyes were closed she was sure Ruby was sincerely sorry.

She took a breath and went back to singing.

Ruby slowly decompressed, putting herself in a state of mind where she could listen to her charge's song. It was a new experience to her; the melody rose and fell and her voice was gentle and even soothing. _"I see now why this calms her."_ Ruby thought, her lips gently curling into a slight smile. The closest she had come to music before this moment in the cave had been the deep bass drums of the sparring ring, which were only permitted in the context of allowing competitors to time their strikes to a rhythm. _"Heh, my chest is kinda like a drum, come to think of it."_ She placed her hands on her stomach and listened closely to Sapphire's melody, then began to tap her gut at moments she felt tapping would be right, getting a bit louder as she grew more confidant with her drumming. After a moment, Sapphire noticed, and her singing stopped.

"Are you tapping out a rhythm?" She asked, turning over a bit.

"NO! I- maybe…" Ruby cringed instinctively, only to be surprised by Sapphire giggling and turning onto her back, so the two gems were lying side by side.

"Want me to keep singing?" she asked, smiling at her red escort.

"…yeah, I do." Ruby smiled back, ready to keep drumming.

Sapphire's gentle voice was greatly complimented by Ruby's well-timed rhythm, and the two kept the song going for many hours. The sensation of relaxation and comfort grew into a crescendo as they eventually ended the song in a fit of impressed giggles.

"t-that was awesome!" Ruby grinned at the little blue gem beside her with new-found respect.

"Indeed it was, Ruby." Sapphire responded sweetly, scooting within an inch of her brutish companion.

" _I knew we could be friends"_ she mused, as the sun rose over the hills outside.


	3. Chapter 3: The Pursuit

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 3: The Pursuit

Ruby was up and stretching at the rising of this planet's glowing yellow sun feeling revitalized by last night's jam session. She was determined to get back on track with this mission, seek it and destroy it.

"I thought you said we'd be leaving at first light?" Sapphire asked, watching the red gem proceed into a set of squats, face betraying mo emotion.

"Well yeah, but I need to keep up with my routine." Ruby grunted back smirking, "Only strong gems will make it out here, you know."

"Oh?" Sapphire responded, half listening. She thought she saw something on the peripheral of her future vision, something big and hairy and aggressive…

"duuuh, haven't you heard?" Ruby dropped into push up position, "this planet not only has rebels on it, and it's got monsters too."

Sapphire's vision focused: This wasn't something that might exist, it was a thing in the immediate vicinity, "Describe it." She urged flatly.

Ruby blinked, then smiled mischievously at the blue gem, "well they're big, hairy, ugly animals that can smash a gem in seconds if you're not careful."

Sapphire winced, the thing was getting closer, and appeared to fit that description perfectly.

"And they're cleeeeeeever. Way stupid, even compared to a gem like me, but really clever." Ruby continued, rolling over to get in some tight crunches.

"You are not stupid." Sapphire chided quietly, her attention focusing on a grove of briars. The thing was watching them, making her feel ill at ease.

"And the scaaaary thing about these things is that they will literally chase their prey for days until they drop dead." Ruby stood up, a foot away from the edge of the sharp briars, "briefing calls these monsters 'men'"

Sapphire looked at Ruby blankly, a moment passing, "run."

"wha-" Ruby started to stay before the beast burst from the thick brambles, forelegs flailing as it bellowed ferociously. Ruby whipped around, startled, before being physically lifted by Sapphire, who took off in a smooth sprint.

"Hey!" she flailed in Sapphire's arms, trying to face the hairy beast, "I-I wanted to fight it!"

"Yeah, no, not worth the risk." She coolly replied, the beast keeping pace with her unnaturally well."

"But it's a man! I hafta fight it!" Ruby protested, desperately trying to wriggle free. The animal was almost within her reach, "Just one punch…." She summoned her bracer and lined aimed her gem-studded knuckles at the beast's big, fleshy snout, but as she went for the swing Sapphire took one mighty leap and landed them in the branches of a tall tree.

"Oh come on!" Ruby growled, glaring at sapphire indignantly, "I could have killed it!"

Sapphire's sarcastic glare could be sensed, even though ruby could not see her eyes, "one, that thing is three times taller than you, minimum. Two, if you missed or didn't hit it hard enough, it would have trampled your gem. Three, if it did that you would automatically fail this mission. Do you want that to happen?" the two gems let their frustration simmer down, and waited for the beast to snort indignantly and then finally trot off, allowing them to climb back down.

"Whatever, come on." Ruby hopped out of the tree, letting sapphire follow freely behind her. She would dare not admit the mental gem was absolutely right.

/

The two left behind the valleys and cliffs of the plains and entered a temperate swamp, their sloshing steps loud enough to be heard for miles in the silence of midday.

"I'm telling you Sapphire, I'm stronger than I look!" Ruby said for what had to be the twentieth time, "I beat up things that big every single day. Sometimes twice a day."

Sapphire sighed, "Because you want to, or just because you can?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked, eyebrow raised," you think I'm not strong? Is that it?"

"Not at all," the blue gem placed a gloved hand on her escort's shoulder, her voice calm and even, "what I mean to say is that are many kinds of strength. You have been taught to accept one form of strength, the kind where you must kill or be killed. Fight or be beaten down. Am I right?"

Ruby blinked, staring at Sapphire as she spoke. The words she spoke seemed to sting somehow, but she felt strange truth hiding in them. Her annoyed look melted away.

Sapphire continued, "Ruby, you may be as strong as Blood Diamond for all I know, but you limit yourself if that is the only strength you consider. You're smart, deep down I sense it; perhaps also intuitive, or even kind. Nurture these-"

A wicked roar interrupted the speech as the beast approached the two gems, tearing foliage in its way.

"Back for more, eh?" Ruby summoned her bracer, smirking "Let's see if we can take this thing Sapphire…..Sapphire?"

The brute gem could not find her charge, but heard her crashing through the swamp ahead of her, "I CAN'T LEAVE YOU ALONE, DARN IT!" she shouted, chasing after the noise of swift feet.

" _Ugh, so much for all kinds of strength. She's just a coward, hiding behind pithy quotes."_ She thought, until a snap of rope broke her thoughts and Sapphire's yelp of shock followed

"Sapphire?!" Ruby entered a clearing and found her charge hanging upside-down from a scratchy rope

"I'm not hurt," Sapphire reassured, looking worried," but you keep running, while you have time."

The thundering of the beast's feet resonated in the distance, and Ruby turned to face it "I am not leaving you, got it?"

Sapphire hissed in frustration and summoned a simple set of claws, "you don't understand. I won't be able to cut myself down before the man gets here. If you run- if you run at least you will survive." She began to futilely cut at the rope, not noticing Ruby's stance widening and her grip on her bracer white-knuckling.

"No, you don't understand." Ruby growled, eyes fixed on the noise of the monster closing in on them, "I won't leave you. Not only am I assigned to protect you, I… I think you're cool. I don't want you to die. If that makes me kind, or brave or whatever other strengths there are, I don't care. If that man touches you, he has to go through me first!"

Sapphire looked down at Ruby, wide-eyed, as she stood her ground and the beast broke into the clearing with a bellowing roar. Ruby stood her ground as the man lowered its head and charged forward, horns threatening to strike them both down. In one swift motion Ruby swung her bracer arm into a spine shattering uppercut, knocking the savage animal head back as it keeled up and away from the two small gems. As the dust cleared Ruby chuckled, then laughed and cheered over the beast, "Take that you dumb man! Ain't nobody gonna defeat the mighty Ruby!"

Sapphire could only smile wryly as she finally cut herself free, gracefully dropping to the swamp floor, but as she looked over the body of the beast threatening them her smile faded to a puzzled grimace.

"I can't believe I defeated a man! Me, Ruby the wimp gem, all by myself." Ruby's smile was huge and proud. _"Jasper is going to be so impressed!"_

"That's because I'm pretty sure this wasn't a man at all," Sapphire circled around the hoof of the beast and pulled a sharpened wooden spear from the beast's side, "and you weren't alone in defeating it."

Ruby's face fell, as she stared at the crude weapon, "t-then that means the man…"

Another beast, as if on cue, burst from the foliage. It stood on two legs and towered over Ruby and Sapphire. The two tiny gems stood frozen as the beast, most certainly a true man, found the body of its fallen prey and gave a cry of triumph and hoisted its legs over its broad, hairy shoulders. It then turned to Ruby and Sapphire, a broad smirk over its face.

Ruby's legs shook as the giant crept closer, for this beast "R-run Sapphire, I'll hold it off…"

This was a lie, she knew this monster would hit as hard as Jasper and not stop until Ruby's gem was pulverized… at least she thought as much, until the beast tenderly patted the cube of hair on Ruby's head and then with a wave departed for the woods.

"… What just happened?!" Ruby blinked, "Was that a warning attack? Are there going to be more?" she was broken from this stream of consciousness by a silvery, delighted laugh. It was Sapphire, for how could it not be?

"I-it was just trying to show you affection." She took a calming breath, "I think it appreciated your help."

"A-affection?" Ruby turned to her, her face a hanging portrait of confusion.

"You've never… felt that, have you?" the red gem slowly shook her head, looking back to the woods, where the man had left. Sapphire sighed and kneeled beside her escort, her arms wrapping around her, the squeeze getting a yelp out of her.

"what are you doing?!" her eyes bugged as she struggled weakly, not sure what to make of this.

"Hugging you. Consider it thanks, for thinking I'm 'cool'" she giggled again.

Ruby sighed, going limp, "fine, you can do that I guess…" she smirked, "you weird, Laffy Sapphy"

Sapphire blushed, trying to stay her giggle, "he-ey you better not get used to calling me that!"


	4. Chapter 4: Beautiful World

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 4: Beautiful World

Ruby shook her hair, groaning with annoyance. She kicked a rock of the edge of the ravine she and Sapphire had been trotting upon, water rushing beneath them.

"I _don't_ like haw water falls on this planet. It's just… not ok!" the rain soon drenched the gem's dense brick of hair, even under her embroidered headband there was this cold, slimy wetness.

"I'm sure it will stop soon, just you wait." Sapphire dragged her many layers of frill through the muck the ground had become. How she wished she could say that for certain; her visions were in a waning mood and nothing of tomorrow came to her. Only the rain in progress was certain.

"This sucks, I almost wish I was home." Ruby laughed, then shuddered, "almost."

Sapphire came to a standstill. _"Home"_. The word turned in her head, coming undone; just like that she wished she hadn't been trying for visions. She got flashes of returning to an empty tower, with no Bowenite to guide her; and then of remaining on this planet, lost. More came, and as she froze up, Ruby could hear a slow squelch from behind her.

"hm, you ok Sa-" Her eyes widened, as her charge slipped away in a landslide, tumbling numbly towards the rush of the flood.

" _ **SAPPHIRE!**_ " Ruby dove after her, the mud quickly stealing her footing as she focused her energy into her hands, grabbing for something that was Sapphire's. Just as the blue gem rolled off the bank, Ruby's snatched her shoulders in a grip of iron.

"I've got you, its ok-" Ruby tried with all her might, trying futilely to resist the pull of the river as the mud receded.

"B-Bowenite..." Sapphire's voice echoed as a hollow whisper, contrasted by the roar of the river.

"w-who?" her escort tried once more to pull her to safety, when all at once the two were wrenched from shore by the tumble of a floating log.

Into the water, they sank. Ruby tumbled in the flow, disoriented and oh so afraid.

" _t-this is not like homeworld's waters."_ She thought, her eyes darting around in the dark, losing focus _"this can't be happening, what do I do?!"_ In that moment, Sapphire's visions were fading, the water seeming to caress her into reality. She spotted Ruby, her flailing form sinking beneath her. _"oh no, hold on."_ She dived, in a swift motion carrying the red gem to the surface, and draping them both on a sturdy bundle of logs in debris. Ruby gasped, water spurting from her mouth.

"b-by the Diamonds, thank you!" she leaned up turning to the blue gem. Her cyan hair was parted, and as she panted she smiled from her one, green eye.

"No, thank you, Ruby" Ruby stared at her for a moment, flashing a more pinkish hue.

" _Huh, I guess it's true about seers and being monocular."_ She shook the thought away, returning the smile.

"No problem, I guess…" she wondered what she was being thanked for, then decided there were bigger questions to ask," who's Bowenite?"

"oh, um…" Sapphire pensively bit at her lower lip, "she- she raised me, and mentored me…."

"Huh... what's she like?" Ruby tilted her head, the strange reaction from the blue gem throwing her off.

"i-well…" Sapphire tried to focus on her yellow visage, but the focus instead allowed her to notice the rain. The lack thereof, that is.

"Ruby, look." The two turned to the sky, as it parted. Beyond the grey, the blue sky of this world shone through. Along with a many colored band of light, unlike anything either of them had ever seen.

"what is that?" Ruby asked, her jaw drooping in wonder.

"i-it's _beautiful"_ sapphire said, with an awed hum, _"The violet of flowers, growing on the edge. The blue of the sky peeking out of the dredge, the green of the grass and every tree and hedge. Isn't this a beautiful world?"_

" _she's singing now?"_ she wondered, puzzled that Sapphire had changed the subject subtlety. She shrugged and leaned back on the log, deciding to listen instead. As the song picked up, Ruby phased on a pair of angular glasses to cut the glare of the returning sunlight.

 _"The yellow of this world's giant sun in the sky, the orange of leaves being turned in the tide, my red escort gem lying here by my side. Who could ask for a more beautiful world?"_ Sapphire took a breath, the key changing by a half step up, _"oooh, I'm afraid but I am fine. Who knew what I would find after all these hours being locked away in ivory towers. I would trade it all and do all in my power, to stay in such a beautiful world."_ Sapphire turned to Ruby, who was now nodding off, _"in such a beautiful world, oooh in such a beautiful world."_ She sang, lying next to her, soon drifting off and reverting to her place of anxiety.

/

Ruby awoke to an oppressive cold, causing her to jolt in surprise.

"w-what did I do?!" she yelped as she finally awoke. She found herself still on the river, which had frozen in the middle. Sapphire had also been frozen to the log, still as a stone could be.

"S-Sapphire!" Ruby worked herself loose from the frost, her hands warming out of instinct, "there must have been a cold snap, we need to get back on track." Sapphire stirred, her face blank.

"No… no I did this." Her breath came in icy little cloud, "I had visions… nightmares, really…."

"o-oh…." Ruby blinked, then set her hands upon the ice along their raft, "well, I'll have this melted in a bit, don't wor-"

"She's gone." Sapphire had iced over in the moment Ruby had turned away, "She's gone, in every vision I could find the Diamond Authority had her redacted…."

"Sapphire, who was redacted?" Ruby turned back, eyes panicking. She decided to try that 'hugging', in attempt to warm her.

"B-Bowenite," the blue gem shuddered, her soul pained, "the only gem to truly care for me… in the only home I've ever known…. I don't think I can ever go back."

"Hey, come on now." Ruby cracked a nervous, tense smile," you've gotta go back. It's great, isn't it?"

"I don't think so." She let out a tiny sob, "it's just a prison, without Bowenite… and even then-"

"Then you'll find a new home!" Ruby shouted, a plume of tense steam rising from her.

"a-a new home?" Sapphire echoed, as Ruby's warmth finally cracked away the ice, radiating outward.

"Y-yeah, why not?" Ruby nodded, "you could ask to be moved after our mission. Maybe staying here after the war? I'll visit you… between campaigns." Her smile intensified, trying to sell her on this hope. The last thing she wanted, she decided, was to see her charge cry again.

Sapphire stared at Ruby, then sighed softly, "I think I will consider that… thank you…." She smiled humbly, and their raft carried them down river, towards the sea.

Ruby fidgeted, the river moving just to slow for her, " _now what? What do I do to pass the time?"_ she'd burnt all the small patches of green growth off the logs, counted the stars as night fell and watched a tiny armored bug crawl from one twig to another, and the boredom could kill her. She turned to Sapphire, who seemed to be meditating. " _No, she's using future vision."_ She realized, "what's that like? Seeing the future, and all."

Sapphire blinked, turning her head to her, "well, it's… it's like a story really. Like having to put down a book before a cliffhanger."

"Um, you'll need to explain what reading a book is like then." Ruby looked deadpan, a bit miffed.

"Oh! Well… you can recognize ways the story could continue or how it may end, but…. Nothing is concrete. Nothing is…." Sapphire froze, her one eye going wide, "o-oh…."

"What do you see?" Ruby asked, leaning a bit closer out of curiosity. Sapphire suddenly looked at her, a sudden panic washing over her.

"You're in danger…. So, so many dangers."

"What-" Ruby blinked, then snorted a bit, "come on, I'm your escort. I'm gonna be in danger all the time now."

"No! Not like before!" Sapphire urged her way from the edge of the water, "this is worse, I don't even know what this is!"

Ruby let her eyes widen in curiosity, then surprise when a greenish-brown animal lurched onto the edge of the raft, right where she'd been. As it gnashed its teeth at Ruby let out a relieved laugh, "that's just another weird earth animal!" Just then the beast was pulled under violently, and Sapphire clung to Ruby almost protectively.

"It knows we're here." She whispered, as a silver serpent nearly twice the width of their raft surfaced, roaring a mix of agony and rage and it focused on them. Ruby blinked, eyes wide and focused.

"Let's run this time, ok?" she insisted to Sapphire, who was already running for shore on the ice. Ruby tried to follow, as the thing dove and crushed their raft.

" _What is that thing?! On no planet, in no system, does a thing like that just evolve! It's going to destroy us!"_

"RUBY! Sapphire's voice carried from the banks, still several yards away; it made Ruby realize her panic and stress was melting through her bridge. It also allowed the beast a chance to close in on her. Ruby called upon her memories of training and swung for the monster's nose, stunning it enough to slide across the thinning ice to shore.

"Come on!" she shouted, clawing up the bank. Alas, the mud from the day previous had yet to dry, and the going was slow. Sapphire ran to her side, holding her back, "the tree! We need the tree!"

Ruby blinked, turning to dead looking pine halfway up the bank, "what for?"

"Just… trust me on this, ok?" Sapphire's eyes were full of uncertainty, but hope. Ruby hesitated, but felt the serpent beach itself behind her.

"Alright, let's do it!" Ruby and Sapphire rushed the bank, towards the tree. Behind them, the beast roared, trying to consume them. As they reached the tree, its gaping maw of teeth loomed only yards away.

"On the count of three, punch the knothole." Sapphire summoned her claws, which Ruby mirrored. The monster gained, barely slowed by the mud.

"One… two…" The abomination's jaws widened, threatening to snap on both of them, and the tree, but the two gems held their focus.

"THREE" with a synchronized motion the two gems hit their mark and the tree twisted away from the mud and smashed into the beast, it's thick branches piercing its hide in several places.

"d-did we kill it?" Ruby wondered, aloud, before the beast exploded into a cloud of smoke.

"No, we just made it retreat." A multilayered, silvery gen dropped near ruby and sapphire's feet, radiating a yellowish hue.

"y-you mean that thing was…. A gem?" Ruby reached for the gem, with the hand that did not contain her own.

"RUBY, NO!" Sapphire yelped, just as her escort's fingers grazed the gem. She then screamed, as a spider web of sickly yellow branched up her arm

"w-what is this?!" she doubled over, writhing in pain. Sapphire kneeled beside her, tearing up oh so slightly.

"t-this was the worst possible outcome." She waited for Ruby to pass out from her pain before bubbling the gem in ice and draping her escort over her shoulders, "and now… we're both lost."


	5. Chapter 5: Colossal Cliff Climb

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 5: Colossal Cliff Climb

"You don't have to carry me, you know." Ruby huffed, thankful not a single gem she knew could see her right now. Sapphire gently set her down with a sigh, and sat upon a log near the edge of the foreseeable woods.

"I'm sorry, I just…." She blinked in and out of future vision, "I don't want your injury to get any worse."

Ruby sat next to her, and held up her non gem hand. From her fingertips to her wrist a sickly yellow network of veins had grown from where she'd touched the monster's gem.

"What even is this stuff, anyways?" she asked, flexing her fingers slowly.

"I don't _know_ ," Sapphire sighed, putting her hand on her shoulder with subdued urgency, "but in my visions, if it spreads to your gem… the best case scenario is you becoming a monster, like this thing." In her other hand she thickened the layer of ice around the orb, to ensure its containment. Ruby pushed her gem hand into the side of her hand, sighing sadly.

"This is it, isn't it?" her eyes welled up with remorseful tears, "we're never gonna make it to the spire…"

"Don't say that, Ruby." Sapphire squeezed gently, although her visions were awash with chaos and ruin, calming her escort had become an unexpected priority for her.

Ruby let out a groan, her tears steaming away on her cheeks, "Jasper is going to be furious…"

"Jasper?" Sapphire's voice picked up, hoping a change of subject could calm her red friend, "Is she the gem that mentored you?"

"Y-yeah," Ruby responded, through tiny sobs, "and I took this mission so she'd promote me to the front…"

Sapphire recoiled a bit from this, "t-the front? Why would you want to be sent there, of all places? It's so dangerous."

"I know," she shook her head, flexing her corrupted hand, "but you don't know what it's like. When you're a brute, you only shine on the battlefield." She stood tears finally subsiding.

"And I need to shine."

Sapphire stared at her, and stood beside her, "if it means that much to you, then we have to get to the spire." A smile passed between the two, "just try not to overexert yourself, ok?"

"Gem warrior's honor." Ruby flashed a smile, "Now let's get out of these woods, huh?" Ruby took the lead, brushing aside the last of the foliage…. Revealing massive Cliffside, spanning for miles in all directions.

"Peeeeerfect." Ruby groaned.

/

After many hours of search, it became clear the only way past the cliff was a vertical move. Ruby's eyes climbed the edge, her anxiety clear to see.

"Ruby, look at me." Sapphire placed her hands on either cheek of the brute gem, "I'm going to try something to get us over this… if it doesn't work-"

"Then we climb." Ruby took a deep breath, and she suddenly felt Sapphire's arms wrap tightly around her.

"Yes, yes, but slowly." Sapphire took a deep breath, and the two began slowly ascend. Ruby gripped her charge tightly.

"Yooooou can fly!" Ruby's eyes widened, darting between Sapphire and the ground.

"Well, I can levitate." Sapphire responded, rising steadily, "but I've never tried for this long…"

Ruby clung to her tightly, less than assured by the turn of events. As the altitude increased, she became aware of the placement of her corrupted hand shifting it of sapphire and away from her other hand. The strain caused Sapphire to groan, but still she rose higher.

"We should stop, switch to climbing" Ruby looked at the ground, then at the pained concentration of Sapphire.

"n-no… that's too risky for you." Their flight faltered as the blue gem spoke, "I need to get us- to… the top…" no sooner were the words spoken that Sapphire blacked out, sending the gems to fall hundreds of feet towards sharp, fallen stones below. Ruby screamed and instinctively grabbed a loose stone on the edge of the cliff, squeezing Sapphire close to herself. The jolt of the sudden stop caused her to scream again, as the spider web of corruption spread all the way to her forearm. As she panted and dug her boots into cracks in the cliff, Sapphire stirred, energy clearly drained.

"i- Ruby?" her eyes moved from her face to her arm, making the connection of what transpired, "I am so sorry, I should have listened to you! Are you ok?"

Ruby took a deep breath, then gave her charge a pained smile, "hey, it's like Jasper always said: if you don't hurt yourself on a mission, you're probably failing at it. Now you hang on, I've got this."

Sapphire reluctantly wrapped her arms around Ruby's shoulders, but watched Ruby's arm critically.

"O-ok but… maybe I should climb on my own soon." She wondered aloud, as Ruby grabbed a higher stone with her gem hand and pulled the two a little higher, "I don't think you're strong enough to carry us both for long periods right now…"

"Not strong enough!" Ruby laughed, clawing upwards with her corrupted arm, "what good is a brute gem if she's not strong?"

Sapphire sighed, "Did Jasper say that too…?"

"Yeah! And she should know. She is the biggest, toughest, strongest gem I have ever met." Ruby Climbed higher, yellow marks pulsing with each rock climbed, "stronger than you, stronger than me, just…. Scarily strong."

"I see…" Sapphire responded, and though that's all she could say in the moment Sapphire was already working out a list of choice words for this Jasper.

/

Within twenty minutes of climbing, it became apparent to Sapphire that every rock Ruby reached for on the cliff side caused her corruption to spread, just a bit further.

"Hold still for a second, I'm getting off." She sighed, planning her route upwards.

"Aw come on," Ruby half-laughed, half panted, "were halfway there now, I can carry you all the way!"

"You really don't need to." As they stopped, Sapphire crawled onto the rocks beside her escort, "the less strain I put on you, the better this will turn out."

Ruby sighed, straining to grab another rock, "fine, just don't slow me down, ok?"

"Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem…" the blue gem whispered, climbing slowly, but steadily up. Her movements were slow and testing; she had climbed parts of the seer tower, but this was far less uniform. Smooth stones would pull from the soil of the cliff, cracks would trap a hand or a foot and branches would bend unpredictably. At this altitude, a fall would be an instant gem-shatter. After a few minutes of climbing, Sapphire turned to look at Ruby, but found her a yard or so beneath her.

"Ruby, do you want me to wait for you to catch up?" she asked, wincing at the sight of her marks crawling up her bicep.

"No way! I'm not gonna keep falling behind like this," Ruby grunted, climbing faster, "besides, my training on home world was five times harder than this."

"All right…" Sapphire's gaze shifted from her escort to the setting sun, "but I'm stopping at the first stable out cropping, understand."

"That's fine." Ruby growled, the pain in her arm getting worse with each move.

" _Look at me, falling behind again."_ She thought, trying hard to catch up with the blue gem above her. She could feel this speeding up the corruption, and yet Jasper's words rung in her ears.

" _Pick it up, squirt! No one's going to wait for you on the battlefield!"_

Sapphire spotted a cliff, a few yards above them and climbed quickly onto it, testing it for stability.

" _You call that a punch Ruby? This is how a REAL gem punches!"_

As Sapphire checked the edges, she could not help but notice that as Ruby climbed, she seemed to be facing ahead in a sort of trance.

" _Get up brat. You're sweeping the streets tonight, and you better not show up here again until a Diamond could roll on them and come up clean!"_

"What is she thinking about?" Sapphire looked closer, and found that a bit of steam was rising from her cheeks, "she's crying?"

" _You're done yet. YOU AREN"T DONE UNTIL I SAY YOU'RE DONE. Get up and face me!"_

Sapphire wondered if the stress of the mission, or her corruption was getting to her. But something deep inside her told her it was something more… insidious.

" _If you don't shut up, and get back to work, I will stomp your gem to dust. Do you hear me, TINY?"_

"R-Ruby don't grab that!" Sapphire yelled as Ruby placed her corrupted hand on a loose rock, which fell away under her weight. Ruby scrambled to grab for another handhold, but her strength and vision failed her. As she braced to fall, she felt Sapphire grab her gem hand with both hands, straining to pull her to the lip of the outcropping.

"w-what were you thinking?!" Sapphire panted, dragging the red gem to safety, "You were going to climb right past me, weren't you."

"I need to finish this mission." Ruby faced the wall, shaking, "I need to prove myself to Jasper-"

"You're going to prove yourself to her by dying?" Sapphire moved between her and the cliff, "does your life matter so little to her, and yourself, that you're expected to put this mission before your own existence?!"

Silence passed, this was the most intense Sapphire had ever spoken to anyone. Ruby's face fell, and turned away from the cliff. Sapphire hoped this question would snap Ruby out of this thought process she seemed to be caught in; and for a moment she thought it had worked.

And then Ruby responded, "Yes, that's the point Sapphire."

And in the stunned shock that followed Ruby began to sing. At least, that's what Sapphire thought she was trying to do.

 _"This was my last chance to prove myself, the smallest brute gem on the shelf,_

 _Because mistreating's me become a running gag, Jasper used me like a punching bag_

 _And I've spent my entire life I've fallen behind, so forgive me for my lag_

 _I feel like only half a gem, compared to all those that came before_

 _I'm on the bottom of the entire social order, so who cares if I die here?_

 _And yes I know on the battlefield I'll be crushed and any memory will disappear_

 _That I ever even existed, but if I can make me see me for one minute_

 _I'll feel like I'm winning it, which is better than my current loser state_

 _So what if I die? I'm not livin', and those that abuse me could be forgiven_

 _For treating me like I don't exist, but then they go ahead and resist_

 _The attempts I make to fit the brute mold?_

 _What are they doing? Are they calling me garbage to feel closer to gold?_

 _I'll do anything if it means those jerks will let me shine_

 _I'll push myself to the limit, and commit war crimes_

 _I am not useless! I AM GONNA PROVE IT THIS TIME-_

Ruby had so much more to say, but at that moment she felt Sapphire's arms wrap around her waist. It was a hug, but it felt oddly protective. And then she felt Sapphire's sobs, and her anger, her pain, melted away.

"y-you shine to me, Ruby." She said between sobs.

"y-you really think so?" Ruby looked down, ad Sapphire's arms. And at her own; how sickly her right arm had grown and how small her gem appeared.

"Yes, absolutely," Sapphire's grip tightened, and her sobs slowed, "when I look at you, all I see is a brave, strong gem. And she's putting too much pressure on herself."

Ruby kneeled, which Sapphire immediately followed, "oh…"

"Tomorrow, at first light, I'm going to carry you the rest of the way up the cliff. You understand?"

"D-do you think you can do that?" Ruby turned to face her charge.

In response, Sapphire giggled, "It seems you're not the only one that's being underestimated here."

Ruby blushed and scratched the back of her head, "ah, sorry…" this received more giggles from Sapphire.

"Don't worry about it, its ok." Sapphire smiled, and thought it would be time yet before she could put a name to it, something in that smile awoke something in Ruby. Something warm and needing that helped to ease her physical and emotional pain.

/

Sapphire grunted, reaching for a small dead shrub, "I can't believe we're almost out of here."

"Me neither," Ruby giggled head nuzzled into her neck, "thanks again, I needed this."

"Annnd that brings your thanks count to 21." Sapphire finally placed her hand on the smooth surface of the top of the cliff.

"And I completely mean it." The red gem sighed happily, "You really saved me."

Sapphire smiled, pulling the two gems over the edge of the cliff, "we're saving each other, it would seem."

Ruby let go of Sapphire and stood beside her, "Yeah, and we can make it to the Sea Spire if we keep working together." She smiled at the blue gem, but noticed her focusing ahead, towards what the cliff had been hiding from the two of them.

The outer edges of the Kindergarten.


	6. Chapter 6: Experiment

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 6: Experiment

The two gems stared at it, taking in the twisting grey complex of canyons; it was not at all like the sandy cliffs of Homeworld's Kindergarten.

"Am I the only one noticing the contrast between the rest of this planet and here?" Sapphire could not find a single sign of Earth's life; no plants or animals. This desolation seemed to spread far past the edges of the actual Kindergarten.

"Yeah, who cares?" Ruby started to circle the edge of the furthest chasms, "we need to keep moving." Sapphire didn't move to follow her, staring down at the faint lights at the bottom of the gray chasms.

"Actually… I think we should go down there." She took a few steps closer, looking down and around the crack in the Earth.

Ruby turned to stare at her charge, jaw dropped, "Are you crazy?! We'd get in so much trouble, you KNOW we don't have the clearance for that!"

"I think they'd make an exception, for this." Sapphire gestured up and down Ruby's arm, "If that gem monster came from here, the scientists of the Kindergarten likely know what it is. They're probably working on a cure right now."

Ruby sighed, "I guess that makes sense…. And hey, I think they have a warp pad to the Sea Spire in here…"

"Exactly," Sapphire took Ruby's gem hand in hers, "this is the end of our wandering, can't you see?"

Ruby, sighed, then smiled, "fine ok, but how are we getting down there? And do not say you'll carry me again." Before Sapphire could respond by laughing, the two heard a mechanical whir near the edge of the chasm. Looking over the edge, they found a large, strange device climbing up the wall of the chasm. Its legs dug into the rock and pulled its center mass to the surface, five drills boring into the surface of the cliff.

"Is that… a mechanized injector?" Ruby watched it work; no technology she'd seen from Homeworld had ever had this level of autonomy. Sapphire was already floating down to it, resting on its upper gem component.

"Are you coming, Ruby?" She asked, as the biotech inside the injector undulated implanting a gem into the rock. Ruby shook her head and jumped onto the machine, sitting next to her charge.

"Heh, I guess this thing is pretty convenient." She held on to the device as it dislodged itself and began climbing back into the gorge. Sapphire looked out across the many gouges into the earth; there were hundreds of injectors like this one all working in concert.

"There are so many of them though…." She pursed her lips, trying to figure out why this fact seemed to bother her.

"Huh…. Guess that explains why it's so big." The deeper they went, the more of a sense of scale they got. The rumors were true, earth truly this was the biggest Kindergarten ever built.

"I wonder how much energy it's taking up." Sapphire mused, as they approached the bottom. Ruby's face fell slightly, and she turned to face Sapphire; her concern was evident.

"You think that's why there's no life around here?" she asked, as they leapt from the injector to the bottom of the kindergarten, a few feet below.

"It would make sense…" the blue gem sighed, something about that implication making both of them uncomfortable. The living things of this world, monsters and all, held a unique appeal to both gems unparalleled by anything seen or written of on Homeworld.

"Ah… let's just try to find a gem that's in charge, ok?" Ruby gently patted her charge on the back, taking her first steps ahead.

"Fine….. Ok." Sapphire agreed, moving through the dusty grey expanse before them.

"Does anyone even work here?" Ruby growled and turned another corner, only to be met with more injectors and more emptiness.

"Well…." Sapphire ran her hand over a mound of rock, one that would one day give way to a gem, "this Kindergarten seems almost entirely automated. I imagine most of the workers patrol the outer rim and the warp pads…"

Ruby groaned, "yeah, but I want to get this over with," she ran her gem hand through her hair, looking up at the height of the canyon walls, "this place…. I don't know why but it's freaking me out."

"I know," Sapphire's visions were maddeningly vague, but at the same time threatening, "I think…. Maybe we should leave soon."

Ruby groaned, but before she could agree to this plan they heard to muffled voices from behind the next bend of rock. The two gems ducked into the shadows, silently agreeing that they were just as likely to walk into rebels as actual workers of the Kindergarten.

"Our current emergence rate is sixty percent, discounting the corium–infected individuals." the voice sounded withered and yet sharp.

" _Corium infection?"_ Ruby looked down at her arm, flexing a bit to observe the tensing of the yellow veins, _"so they know what this is…"_

"Very well," another voice, gruff and muffled, answered, "send out the uninfected as soon as you can, and incinerate ALL infected individuals."

Both gems shared a brief look of pure horror; Ruby dared in that instant to peek around the corner towards the voice. She saw that one gem was large and green, with a head covered in spiky hair and was coated in armor commanding authority, save for a strange mask covering her eyes and face. The other was a slight, grey gem; she was very plain and dwarfed by the green gem.

She shook her head ant the taller gem, "come now general, can we really afford that much waste? At the very least we could take a few as samples, play around with it a bit."

Ruby's eyes widened, _"General? HIGH General Emerald?!"_ she had heard that Emerald had been sent to Earth, but never once expected to SEE them in person. What they were doing here, with a war to fight, Ruby could not fathom.

"Professor, with all due respect this stuff is no toy," The general sighed, "and no weapon of war either. Some of the initiatives you've presented me make me question your dedication to your station, to your sanity even-"

"YOU do not have vision, General!" the grey gem howled, throwing up her thin arms in a taunting manner, "but I know the Authority does. If you won't approve my proposals I will petition for audience with them. You'll see, my initiatives will have the rebellion to its knees!"

Both Ruby and Sapphire were stuck in stunned silence; neither were sure if they'd walked into a conspiracy or if the grey gem's words held any weight. But ignoring the possibility that this 'corium-infection' could be weaponized, a bigger implication dawned upon the two gems.

"There's no cure." Sapphire said aloud, amidst the silence following the Professor's outburst. In the echoing channels of the Kindergarten, her tiny voice seemed to impossibly echo. The grey gem turned to the noise, her snarl revealing her gem to be a grey row of upper teeth; all were unevenly sized and shaped into points and cubes and razor-thin edges. The General tilted her head, then turned away.

"Go see what that was, will you Galena?" she sighed, moving towards a set of warp pads in the distance, "I have to get out of here." Professor Galena's eyes widened, pinpricks of black in a field of grey and underlined by black crescents of eyeliner as she tried to focus on where the noise had come from. Ruby and Sapphire tried to slip away into one of the abandoned holes of a formerly incubating gem, but the grey gem proved to be faster than they expected. Ruby felt a cold, slender hand wrap around her infected wrist, pulling her screaming from the rock.

"Oooh, what do we have here?" Galena looked Ruby over, positively glowing with excitement, "You emerged only partially infected, now that's unique. I've always wanted to study how the corruption spreads." Ruby squirmed in her grasp until she felt Sapphire grabbing her legs, trying to pull her free. Galena merely smiled and lifted Sapphire as well, by the back of her dress

"Oh, and a seer gem!" Galena's mad smile grew as she held Sapphire's gem to her face, "I could really use you, at least a fragment or two-" Ruby leaned up and bit into Galena's arm, which caused her to drop the red gem in disgust. Ruby wasted no time summoning her Bracer and slamming it into the gray gem's stomach.

"Let go of my Sapphire!" she growled, and as Galena doubled over she pried open her hand and the two small gems ran as fast as they could from the Professor. The Grey gem leaned up, laughing dryly.

"We lose so many gems this way…" she distended her jaw and summoned her gem weapon; it was an impossibly large metallic syringe topped with a long thin needle and came filled with a white milky substance, "some liquid gem-destabilant should calm you two down!" she cackled with excitement and gave chase.

/

Ruby collapsed after nearly an hour of close-calls, cornering and nonstop running; quickly thinking Sapphire dragged her into an enclave before Galena could round the next corner and spot them. They held their breaths, waiting for the mad gem to pass.

"Where did you go my lovelies?" the grey gem brandished her needle, searching for the two, "Why must you hide from SCIENCE?!" her ranting grew more distanced as she continued her search away from the hiding place of the two gems.

"She's gone," Ruby sighed, "but she'll be back. I could distract her, and you'd be able to make a break for the warp pads-"

"No, absolutely not." Sapphire placed a hand on her escort's which were already firmly planted on the sides of her hair, "You'll be tortured until the infection spreads. And I don't even want to see your fate after that."

"But my mission was just to get you to the Sea Spire," the stress alone sent little cracks of corruption over the shoulder of the scared brute gem. Sapphire sighed pushing her hair aside to look Ruby in the eye.

"I am NOT leaving you here Ruby." Her eye stared deep into the red gem's, before glazing over with a vision of the future "There's another way out of this place. A tunnel that leads into the mountains…. The only problem is it's encircled in lava, and the bridge only appears for registered gems…"

Ruby thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth, "alright, let's go for it." Sapphire nodded, and the two crawled out; Ruby looked over her shoulder in the direction Galena had gone.

"Alright Sapphire, lead the w- AAAAAaaah!" Sapphire had taken Ruby's gem arm and had begun dragging her in the direction of the tunnel, so fast Ruby's feet barely touched the ground

"A-are you running or flying right now?" Ruby asked, panting.

"A bit of both, we're almost there." The blue gem assured her escort, as they entered a branch of the Kindergarten away from the rest and began running uphill, before coming to a dead stop. The two small gems felt their faces fall as they stared at the expanse of molten rock. It was several times longer than the both of them combined, and its depth could not be known.

"I…. haven't worked out how to cross it yet…. I don't think I can fly both of us over." Sapphire admitted, just as the ravings of Professor Galena began to grow in the distance behind them. Ruby shook her head, then raised it, a plan forming.

"Sapphire, when I tell you to fly, fly, ok?"

"Wha-" Sapphire squeaked out just as the brute gem lifted her over her head and threw her as hard as she could. Sapphire tumbled halfway across the expanse, confused and surprised.

"FLY!" Ruby commanded, and just as Sapphire neared the surface of the boiling rock, she corrected herself and made the distance to the other side, just at the mouth of the tunnel

"I-I made it?" the blue gem wondered, then turned back towards the other side of the molten divide. She caught a glimpse of Ruby making a running start towards her before leaping towards the other edge, only for her to plummet into the lava, sinking quickly into the boiling rock.

"RUBY!" Sapphire cried; as she dropped to her knees and felt burning tears come. She stayed that way for a moment, unwilling to go on. And then Ruby's gem arm emerged from the surface of the lava, curling its fingers into a thumbs-up. Then another arm surfaced, and then her head popped out, gasping for air and laughing with relief.

"HA! I knew it, I am resistant to lava!" Ruby gloated, swimming to the edge. Sapphire jaw hung loose, but as she pulled her escort from the boiling rock she too could not help but laugh.

"I thought I just saw my best friend die!" she chuckled, still crying and hugging the Red hot gem tightly. Ruby ruffled her hair gently, secretly relieved her foolish plan had worked out as it had.

"It takes more than lava to kill me." She winked, and the two smiled at each other.

"Theeeere you two are!" Galena cackled, activating the proper sensors to summon the bridge across the lava. The two small gems yelped and ran into the tunnel as quickly as they could, and Galena followed them into the darkness in what would be many more hours of running.


	7. Chapter 7: Storm on the Mountain

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 7: Storm on the Mountain

When Ruby and Sapphire emerged from the other end of the tunnel, they were greeted by sheet after sheet of snow, and a mountainside made unrecognizable by it.

"Ice falls from the sky here too?!" Ruby growled, "What's next, rocks? Fire?" She kicked at the snow, furious that all this running had lead them to a white dead end.

Sapphire immediately ran to a dip between the many banks of snow, "no this is perfect. Hurry and crouch down." Ruby tilted her head but trotted to Sapphire's side, where she was already raising a formidable barrier of ice.

"What are you doing?" the red gem asked ad her charge raised a roof of ice, then snow above them.

"Hiding us, now shush." The blue gem commanded as she finalized their tiny cave of ice and snow. Ruby scowled, but only until the sounds of Galena emerging from the tunnel twisted her face to panic. She could hear the grey gem treading over their hiding space, mere inches above them.

"I will find you two…" the Professor warned, slowly stepping away from them, "you can't trick me…" the two gems waited in silence, until her footsteps grew into faint crunches in the distance, and disappeared altogether.

"I think she's gone…" Ruby whispered, having scooted closer to Sapphire in her fearful state. Sapphire responded by thickening the snow above them.

"Yes, but she's guaranteed to go back into the kindergarten if we wait a bit longer… and the storm has yet to improve." Sapphire kept a calm demeanor, which after a few moments fully calmed the tense Ruby. The red gem then laughed, dryly.

"I'm fire, you're ice." Ruby leaned back against the curved walls of ice, "can't believe it took me this long to work that out. I really am dumb…" Sapphire pursed her lips and leaned next to her. Ruby could almost feel a calming aura coming from the little blue gem beside her, as she tried to put her thoughts into words.

"Ruby, considering what we've been through recently, it's ok for you to not make that connection." Sapphire held out her gem hand, next to Ruby's slowly unclenching hand, "in fact, the longer we travel, the more I notice what we have in common. Or at the least what compliments each other." Sapphire smiled at her escort, whose eyes drifted from her face to their gems.

" _They're even on opposite palms."_ Ruby thought, a smile growing on her face. Slowly, she let her natural heat channel and intensify in her left hand until steam was visibly rising from her gem. Sapphire tilted her head, then shrugged and cooled her right hand until ice crystals formed over each of her fingers. Slowly they raised their palms to face each other, pressing them closer and closer until a good sized spark of electricity burst from the mere inches between their gems.

"Gah!" Ruby fell backwards in stunned fear and quickly checked her gem for damage, "did we seriously just make electricity?"

"Temperature differentials." Sapphire laughed lightly, checking her gem, "this has been a shocking development." She smirked at the red gem on the ground, and she laughed and leaned up to face the blue gem.

"Laffy Saffy, lord of ice and bad puns." Sapphire blushed a darker blue, but could not hide a smile.

"Oh, why do you call me that?" She asked, shaking her head. Ruby responded by shrugging, leaning back with her arms folded behind her head.

"It's…. it's that mental gems never laughed around me before." The brute gem stared off into space, trying to remember her few encounters with higher gems, "they glare, bark orders and generally treat us lesser gems like scum. So… the fact that you do sticks out to me, I guess."

Sapphire's smile fell, and she sighed softly, "That's not all that marks me different from other mental gems. The notion that brute gems are lesser to us… I never quite bought it. I mean, look at us." Sapphire turned to face her escort, carefully placing her gem hand over hers, "we've got worlds in common, ignoring our castes." Ruby's eyes widened and her face turned a deeper red; she felt glad to be validated by another mental gem in what she always knew was a false sense of inferiority and yet…. Something uncomfortable loomed in the air between the two gems, and she felt now spark would diffuse it.

"Ah, I think we should keep moving. Professor Strange-Gem should be gone by now, huh?" the red gem began punching through the ice sheltering them.

"She is…. But the storm is not." The seer gem stood behind her as the shell broke, the winds blowing the remaining snow away. Ruby climbed out, then helped Sapphire out of their hiding place.

"Yeah, but once we get out of here it's only a three day's walk to the sea." Ruby reminded her, wading into the snow.

/

The snow refused to stop its assault on the mountain, and the two tiny gems found themselves lost within it. Sometimes Sapphire would lose Ruby's trail in the sheet-thick flurries or in vice versa; sometimes one or both of them would fall through a thick bank of snow and need to be carefully dug out to proceed. Worst of all, and most frequently, thin layers of ice would form on the snow and one wrong step would send one of the small gems rolling down the mountain. It was after one of these slippery setbacks that Ruby began to panic; Sapphire had fallen a long way and over the howling winds and blinding snowfall she could not find her.

"SAPPHIRE!" the tiny gem roared digging into several banks of snow looking for her charge.

" _Idiot, idiot, why couldn't you just stay in the ice-cave thing?!"_ Ruby gritted her teeth and pressed on, no longer able to find the skid her charge had made. It was like trying to find a piece of crystal in a massive mound of ice.

"Saaaaaphire!" The red gem wailed once more before falling to her knees, sinking into the snow as the heat of her stress melted out a small crater for the brute gem to curl up in and hide.

"I've failed…. I've lost you." She whimpered, feeling more useless than ever before. She didn't even notice the soft crunching of her charge approaching her.

"There you are… Ruby?" Sapphire stood behind her, and as Ruby turned to face her time seemed to speed up as she took to her feet and took up the blue gem in a very, very warm embrace.

"Where were you? I kept calling for you, why didn't you answer?" the red gem's tears continued to flow and sear away from her cheeks as Sapphire put a soothing hand on her cheek.

"I was- I tried to follow what I thought was you, but…" Sapphire's eye locked onto Ruby's, conveying the gravity of her realization, "something is following us. It's not Galena, but it could be dangerous. We should keep moving while-"

"NO!" Ruby yelped, louder than she had planned, "I don't want to lose you again!"

Sapphire blinked, surprised at the sudden outburst, "Ruby…" she began, before the soft cracking of snow alerted them to another presence. In between bursts of falling snow, the two caught sight of a grey being. It was not at all like Galena however; its eyes glowed yellow, and it stood on all fours, staring at the two of them intently. And then another stepped forward, and another until they were surrounded by a dozen beasts; all panting or growling or sniffing the air.

"They're called wolves…" Sapphire said, not moving an inch, "predators of this world. They hunt in groups and… and…" she trailed off as one loped towards Ruby. They were both well aware escape would be next to impossible, between the terrain of the snow and the numbers presented before them. Ruby held Sapphire's hand in hers as the beast pressed its nose into her face, sniffing profusely. From this close, they could tell this animal had not eaten for a long time; almost certainly from the decline of life around the Kindergarten. Ruby gasped as the animal licked her face, and stared at her for a moment in silence. It then barked, then turned and trotted away, the rest of the pack turning to follow.

"I-it must have realized it can't sustain itself on us." Sapphire reasoned, her jaw hanging a bit. Ruby scowled with a trace of suspicion, not uncommon to Brute gems in the field

"Yeah, and I'm starting to think the native life of this world is…. Safer than we've been told. Like we've been lied to, you know?" Sapphire nodded, at a loss for words.

"So um, do you think they know the way over the mountain?" the red gem asked, looking at their clawed tracks in the snow.

"o-oh, probably." Sapphire scanned the future briefly, "yes, it appears they do."

"Then let's follow them!" Ruby smiled, trotting to catch up to the earth animals.

"Wait, wait!" Sapphire floated to catch up to her, "you trust these animals to get us over the mountain more than yourself?" she looked at Ruby incredulously.

"No, I trust YOU and your visions." Ruby smirked, catching up to the wolves and following behind them. Sapphire sighed, and shook her head.

" _I guess that's fair."_ She thought, catching up with the pack.

/

The pack had chosen a winding, but far more reliable trail than anything the two gems had been able to find, and they were content to walk through the night and the continuing storm.

"They must be on the verge of starvation," Sapphire reasoned, "it's sad that they can't just take in energy from their perfectly-good sun."

"But in this weather?" Ruby laughed weakly, though the snow had slowed they had yet to see the other side of the mountain. The pack crossed over a ridge that must have lined the summit a few hours from sunrise, and as if on cue the snow finally tapered off.

"Finally!" Ruby groaned, shaking the last of the snow from her hair, "that was starting to get annoying."

"I didn't mind, save for the fact that it was getting us lost…" Sapphire admitted.

"Well it's COOL when you do it." the red gem retorted, before they both giggled softly. At that moment, the sun began to rise and the gems and their wolf guides caught the sight of the valley below the mountain. It was flowing with tall grass, streams and horned beasts which the wolves immediately began stalking towards. In the distance, Ruby and Sapphire could catch the fleeting glimpse of the ocean, shining like a thin ribbon of blue.

"Can you believe it Sapphy?" Ruby chuckled, stepping from snow and rock to the first fleeting tufts of grass, "we're almost done out here! We're almost home free."

"Yes, it's amazing." Sapphire admitted, before her eyes fell upon something in the foreground, "But… my future sense is telling me we have to go THERE first." Sapphire pointed out towards the fields, and Ruby's eyes fell upon some faint smoking wreckage in the distance, which even from as far away as they were smelled of death and ruin.

"o-oh no…" she choked out, before breaking into a dedicated gallop towards the carnage.


	8. Chapter 8: Ghost Town

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 8: Ghost Town

By the time the two gems reached the outskirts of the ruins, the smoke had died off; all that was left were wooden structures transformed into charcoal.

"w-what is this?" Ruby ran her hand over a fallen beam, "we weren't briefed on any Homeworld or rebel bases in this area."

"Well it must be made by the rebellion," Sapphire reasoned, "it's not in Empire sensibility to use organic matter in structure." Ruby turned over the log and uncovered a small skeleton. The two stared at it for a moment, trying to work out what it was until Sapphire gasped.

"This was an Earth creature," She gently removed the bones from the soil, "this is what they leave behind when they can no longer exist."

"Oh yeah, I see it now." Ruby held the skull, turning it over in her hands, "it looks like one of the wolves, but… smaller." Ruby and Sapphire shared a concerned look and hesitantly tread further into the burning compound of wood and fiber cloths. Entering one of the many burnt-out structures led to them finding yet another skeleton, this one sprawled out over a central mound of dirt. This one was larger, more… familiar.

"It's a man." Ruby said with confidence, circling around it, "you can tell by the… head part."

"Yes, but… look at this." Sapphire pried the lid off an earthenware pot, revealing a mildewed stew of roots and meat, "it was probably going to consume this… I think it lived here."

Ruby's eyes widened, "n-no way. Humans don't build structures like us, they're not smart enough-"

"So said the reports, yes." Sapphire looked through several artifacts of the shelter, including unused weapons, "but it was wrong about the men before. It seems there's a lot our superiors never told us."

"Ok… but if this was a compound for men, then what do we care?" Ruby wondered aloud. It wasn't within her skill set, as a brute, to study things unknown. But if she were to be honest with herself, she was more than a little curious.

"Ruby, something _happened_ here." Sapphire stared at her escort, unmoving, "if we don't find out what, it could very well compromise the Empire. At the very least we could learn more of earth life. Doesn't any of that matter to you?"

"I…. I guess it does." Ruby shrugged, not making the connection that her interest in part stemmed from Sapphire's.

/

The two gems searched every structure within the ring-shaped compound. In every structure they found many, many artifacts; weapons, pots, simple tools, cloth coverings, and oddly enough inert gems suspended on cording that, from what Sapphire could guess, were what humans used to denote status among the different men.

"Whatever came here, it wasn't here to take anything." Sapphire mused, observing a blade of obsidian. _"I think I used to know an obsidian"_ she thought, setting it where she found it.

"They were here to wipe these men out, isn't that obvious?" Ruby held up a skull, one that was no bigger than her hand. She had found at least a half dozen this size and usually accompanied by a bigger man, and something about it made her very, very uneasy.

"I see that, but…" the blue gem sighed, " _why?_ What does anyone gain from this? What is the point of destroying so many beings?"

"I don't know what to tell you Sapph." Ruby admitted, cringing, "believe it or not, not all brutes enjoy destruction and death. For me, it's just a part of the job. Maybe men are different…."

Sapphire sighed, sitting upon a fallen wall, "even so, something about this isn't adding up to me…" She stared out at the center of the compound, where many of the bodies were strewn. Ruby sat beside her, and as she did Sapphire made a connection with the skeletons she saw and the ones she saw before: they were all face down.

"This was an ambush." She stated, turning to Ruby, "most of the men her had no idea they were being attacked, and those that did all tried to run." The red gem's eyes widened, realizing that her charge must have been right.

"B-but how many men would that even take?" Ruby wondered, "To catch this entire group both outnumbered and off guard?"

Sapphire sighed, nearly groaning, "That's just it. I think… I think this ambush was done by gems." She stood, and trod across the ash-filled clearing of the compound.

"G-gems?!" Ruby balked, standing, "that makes no sense. Maybe the monster that attacked us could do this, or something like it but… not ones like us, right? Right?!"

Sapphire just stared at Ruby across the way, her face betraying pain unspoken. She cleared away excessive debris where another round wooden structure had been. She then kneeled, gasping.

"Ruby, come look at this one." Her voice was grave and hollow, and this was enough to send the Red gem running to her side. This one still had flesh, though it was dried out and wrinkled by the smoke of the burnt wood beams that covered it; it was obvious to both of them however this one had died from precise blade marks to its neck and abdomen.

"Look at these marks, none of the tools we've found could cut this cleanly. This HAD to be the work of a gem." Sapphire turned over the withered corpse, "it looks like it was a sword, or dagger was used, likely as soon as it tried to exit the-"

She was interrupted by her red escort snapping one of the thinner logs of the structure over her knee. Her eyes were full of anger; of a hate and fury that caused Sapphire to back away.

"Those. Rebel. MONSTERS!" the brute gem screamed heat radiating from her, "you killed them all, didn't you Blood Diamond?! They did nothing to you and you MURDERED them!"

"Ruby, please calm down." Sapphire whimpered, her voice drowned out by the inner din of Ruby's malice against the rebellion. Her bracer was summoned and the red gem practically flew into the nearest standing wall, demolishing it. The logs and rope fell aside and ignited in her wake.

"I am going to destroy you!"

/

Never had Sapphire felt as helpless as she had watching her red escort continuing the destruction of these ruins of men. Ruby leveled the remaining buildings, scorched artifacts and the ground itself; she would not harm the bones of the fallen men but the skulls of the animals they seemed to own were fair game. All the while, the air was filled with shouts such as "curse you Blood Diamond!" and "I'll kill you all like you killed them all!" in the voice of the red ball of impudent rage that was paradoxically destroying what she lamented destroyed. None of this destruction phased Sapphire; however it agonized her to see the yellow veins of Ruby's corruption spread over her chest and down to her thigh. Deep within her she knew that the Empire would not accept her corrupted state; and with no cure…. The blue gem turned away, towards the sea.

"I'm sorry Ruby." A single tear rolled down from her eye, "I am so, so sorry." She hoped that Ruby's anger would burn out and subside, and that she would catch up to her at the Spire but… her future visions told her this could well be where the corruption takes full hold of her friend, and Sapphire would not let herself see that live.

" _And yet…. Why are my visions telling me I'm about to discover something new as well?"_ she thought as she crested the hill, puzzled and concerned. And then her jaw dropped, as she discovered where the remaining skeletons of the village had gone.

"RUBY!" the terrified blue gem shouted, and for the first time in several hours, the red gem noticed. She stopped pounding a decorative elk skull into dust and looked up; in that moment her trance of hatred ended and she realized she could not find her charge anywhere.

"o-oh no- SAPPHIRE!" Ruby ran to where Sapphire had previously been, and then she stopped, eyes widening. Below her were nearly fifty skeletons, very carefully cleaned and arranged into one large triangle tessellated into four, with each outer skull containing a painted skull; one blue, one yellow and one white. Even the most dim-witted of brute gems knew this symbol by rote memory, for this was the new symbol of the Gem Empire.

"S-Sapphire…" Ruby sidled down to the edge of the effigy, where the blue gem was crumpled over, sobbing gently.

"t-this must be a coincidence." Ruby began, cracking a broken smile that the blue gem did not respond to, "No, no I know what this. This is a trick by the rebellion. They're framing the Empire, trying to make us look evil, you know…."

"Ruby," Sapphire whimpered, "that doesn't make sense. And you know it doesn't make sense."

Ruby opened and closed her mouth a few times, and then took a deep breath.

"Ok, so…. The Empire thought this village of men was too close to the Kindergarten. They also wanted to send a message to the rebels that they won't leave any survivors, and also wanted to hide from the Homeworld populace how advanced the life on Earth has gotten." Ruby turned up Sapphire's chin, her eyes heavy with pain, "do you agree with that?"

Sapphire blinked, then swallowed gently, "that was a wise assessment. Yes… I do."

Ruby smiled weakly, then looked down at herself, "wow, look at me…. I let myself go." She traced the veins of her corruption down her body with her eyes, "they're gonna destroy me when I get to the Spire."

"No." Sapphire insisted, her gaze determined, "I won't let them do this to you."

Ruby laughed softly, but with pain in her voice, "no offense, but how are you going to stop them?" to this Sapphire stood and began sorting through the Diamond Authority's bony sigil.

"We can hide it, the way the men hide themselves in pelts and woven fibers." She let out a happy gasp and unearthed a patchy square of burlap, "here, tie this around your shoulder, so it covers your right side." Ruby's face twisted in disgust but she complied.

"Well, does it hide it?" the red gem asked, and Sapphire looked her over closely. The brown cape covered even the farthest veins and absorbed the faint glow of the corium, further it gave Ruby what was in her opinion a rugged appeal. Her face burned blue and she nodded.

"I-it looks perfect." She responded, biting her lip. The red gem sighed, then turned towards the west.

"Let's just get to the Sea Spire, ok? No more stops." Sapphire nodded, and they left the ghost town to finish its natural decay into dust.


	9. Chapter 9: To the Sea

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 9: To the Sea

The two gems had been walking the plains in silence, the scent of the burnt out village clinging to them even as the haunting ruins disappeared behind them. Occasionally, one would glance away from the path ahead to one another; to check on their pace and demeanor or whatever else they would internally say to justify their mutual need to watch one another in the silence.

" _So, we end as we began,"_ Sapphire thought with a withering sigh _"in Silence."_ But then she noticed the silence was incomplete: Ruby was humming. Her melody was rough and unpolished but it had an air of levity in it Sapphire could not deny.

"You want to sing?" Sapphire shook her head, but smiled nonetheless.

"Yeah, why not?" the little red gem smirked, despite everything, "it can be about anything. You start."

"Um…. Ok" the mental gem hummed a few bars, catching up to her escort's unique tempo.

 _"We've crossed over a hundred miles of land."_

" **And we've got twenty more to go."**

 _"And it's been one long trip for both of us"_

" **But we'll make it to the Spire before you know."**

 _"To the Sea,_ **To the Sea,** _To the Sea,_ **To the Sea"**

 _"So long as we stick together,_ **We can make it through whatever."**

 _ **"We're going to make it to the Sea"**_

The two gems laughed, taking a moment to leap over a bend in a stream before Ruby picked up the next verse.

" **In this long mission I have found a friend."**

 _"Sometimes a friend is all you need."_

" **You make me feel like I can overcome any challenge I come upon."**

 _"And in that I can say we are agreed"_

" **To the Sea,** _To the Sea,_ **To the Sea,** _To the Sea."_

" **When we're working as a team,** Nothing's harder than it seems."

 **" _We're going to make it to the Sea."_**

Ruby and Sapphire crested a hill, each chanting "To the Sea" enthusiastically. With boundless enthusiasm the two rolled down the hill, bending the uncut grass into two thin stripes. As their momentum petered out at the bottom, the two laughing and panting, their song of triumph found its final lyrics.

 ** _"To the Sea, to the Sea, to the Sea, To the Sea."_**

 ** _"I'd be lost without you, and without a doubt that's true."_**

 ** _"We're going to make it to the Sea."_**

Ruby smiled at Sapphire, and Sapphire smiled at Ruby. The red Gem leaned up, and cleared her throat, glancing away; her cheeks were flush with exertion, from what she could tell.

"Hey Sapph, I just had…. A hypothetical idea." She asked, scratching the side of her head.

"I'm listening." The blue gem leaned back, hugging the fold in her dress where her knees were hidden.

"Well, picture this…. Instead of, you know, going to the sea spire…. We just stayed out here in the wilds of Earth?" the brute smirked with both mischief and hope, "we could live in a cave somewhere, watch over stray earth creatures, defend men from total annihilation-"

"What you're suggesting is rebellion." Sapphire responded flatly, but without any tone of judgement.

"No! No, not rebellion. It's a mixture of, you know…. Desertion and insubordination without direct conflict, you know?"

Sapphire sighed, opening her perception to her future vision, "I'm sorry, but it would not work. When the rebellion is crushed, we would be hunted down and executed as traitors, direct confrontation or not."

"Yeah, but… I just thought…." She sighed, "I can't hide my corruption forever. And even if I do, when we get to the spire I'm never going to see you again. I-I'll lose my only friend." The tiny red gem teared up, fighting back flames of frustration from erupting from her and setting the plains ablaze. Sapphire put a hand on her cheek, tenderly wiping away her tears.

"I can make an appeal Ruby, for a permanent guard." Sapphire leaned in close, speaking quietly and emphatically, "I'll ask for you by name."

Ruby Sniffled, looking away, "those appeals take a long time Sapph…. I'm going to be cannon fodder in the war… or worse…."

"Ruby, I doubt they'll assign you to attack a human settlement."

"What if they do though?" The red gem whimpered, "I'm not going to… I can't….. I'm not a monster!"

"And you won't be." Sapphire moved to hold her escort's face between her hands, "we'll find a way to make this work…. I promise you." Ruby's blush broadened, only to be shaken away by her nod.

"If you say so, then I believe you." She stood, shaking out the brown cape a bit to dislodge some clinging blades of grass. Sapphire followed her in standing, but as she went to follow her, a fleeting vision of a red gem getting crushed under the foot of an orange brute gem stunned her from following Ruby further.

"You ok Sapphy?" she asked, looking back. The startled blue gem nodded slowly, advancing forward.

" _This… this is probably a mistake."_ She thought, tensely.

/

The visions were atrocious and unyielding; every potentially awful scenario Ruby could experience was on full display for Sapphire. The crushing, corruptions and permanent separation weighed on the blue gem, who could barely keep up with her escort.

" _It's not like her options on earth are great, but…."_ She watched Ruby moving through the grass, with confidence and power, _"she is strong, and intuitive. The two of us together would be caught, but she would likely avoid detection. I-if I can convince her to let me go alone…."_

"Hey Sapphire, come on." Ruby called, smiling her growingly charming smile, "we're almost there, why are you slowing down now?"

"O-oh sorry…" Sapphire ran to catch up, keeping pace with the red gem. She watched her, her grim visions overlayed on the present.

" _No…. she will never let me leave her side if she can help it. And, the more I think about it, I can't bring myself to think of letting her leave mine."_ Sapphire's eye widened as she realized how confidant Ruby's smile was. It glowed with a radiance that stilled the chaos of Sapphire's thoughts, visions and worries.

" _I couldn't have assuaged her fears that well. Is she… facing death with a smile?"_ Sapphire turned her eye away, facing ahead of her.

" _I-I can't let her face that fate alone. Not after everything…. If she's discovered, I will face the crushing block with her."_ Sapphire brushed aside the insane logic of this choice; something beyond reason had taken control inside the blue gem. It seemed to fly in the face of the teachings of Bowenite, and of the Authority's dogma. But as Sapphire let it fill and control her mind, her horrid visions dissipated and Sapphire could clearly see reality; just in time for the two gems to crest the final hill between them and the endless expanse of seawater.

"There it is!" Ruby shouted in triumph and in one swift motion lifted her charge and span her gently in the brackish air. Sapphire giggled lightly, clinging to Ruby's arms.

"You did it Ruby, congratulations." The blue gem smiled at her escort warmly, and genuinely. Ruby took the warmth it gave her as a reward for hiding her crippling fear for this last step.

"Come on, I see the warp pad!" Ruby pointed and ran down the hill, towards the sand-blanketed coast. All the while within her mind her mantra played within her mind.

" _Do it for Sapphire, Do it for Sapphire, Do it for Sapphire."_ Faint tears streamed and steamed from her eyes, but if she could keep Sapphire safe for this long and deliver her to the Sea Spire she could keep smiling. No matter how soon her gem was shattered, or her beastly form consumed her sense of self, he could face the future with a smile.

" _DO IT FOR SAPPHIRE!"_ Ruby dove face first into the white sand, letting her heat mix with its residual heat. Sapphire giggled, floating after her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, lifting her from the sand. Ruby's grin did not falter, her eyes drinking in the visage of Sapphire that she may ever know.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she shook the sand from her hair, and turned towards the warp pad. It was unbroken and in perfect working order.

"Are you ready?" Ruby asked, taking Sapphire's gem hand in hers.

"Yes, I'm ready…. Are you?" the seer gem responded, a faint tremor in her voice.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ruby repeated, holding out her hopeful façade as best she could.

"I don't know." Sapphire shook her head and stepped onto the warp pad with her red escort, whose eyes were fixed ahead, onto the endless blue waves. As the warp pad glowed to life she threw her arms around her; pulling her into a fleeting, tender hug.

"But I had to make sure." Ruby's face grew warm and pink as Sapphire's darkened in kind. The small lonely gems let themselves experience this unbridled, unknown joy until the Warp faded and the interior of the Sea Spire overwhelmed the two with the bustle of countless Brute and Mental gems. Their mission was complete, in all but paperwork.


	10. Chapter 10: Caught

Part 1: The Mission

Chapter 10: Caught

Sapphire took the briefest of moments to take in the unique architecture of the Lunar Sea Spire, not noticing initially that Ruby was weaving through the crowd to an information desk.

"R-Ruby wait for me." Sapphire quickly caught up with her red companion, who was trying their hardest to get the attention of a painfully bored looking Selenite.

"Hey, excuse me!" Ruby shouted, waving her gem hand over the edge of the desk, "we're here to report on mission 57-O-23, status: Accomplished." The pale mental gem finished staring into space and glared down at the red gem, then proceeded to shuffle lazily through paperwork.

"Uh huh…. Objective being to transport a seer sapphire? Escorted via a… Ruby." She glanced between the two small gems, then back to the report documentation. Ruby glared a bit, familiarizing herself with the dismissive nature mental class gems still held for her; Sapphire gently moved her hand onto her brute friend's hand.

"Yes." Ruby grunted, "Now, we'd like to know where we can go for long-term assignment." The Selenite blinked, then laughed; her clear frame shimmering with her regal, dismissive chuckles.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, you silly brute." Her finger moved to the bottom of the document, "there's a hold on this mission report. You are to report to 'General Jasper' for final sign-off" the tall mental gem rolled her eyes, only for Sapphire to clear her throat. Both Ruby and the Selenite felt her patience wearing thin, despite her face not showing any hint of malice.

"In that case, where may we find her? We've had a long journey, and would appreciate finishing this mission with expediency." The Selenite sighed, and dropped the report into Ruby's waiting hands.

"She's upstairs, briefing office 203." As the two gems moved to the stairs the Selenite called out, "and if she's in a…. Aggressive mood, don't say I didn't warn you." Ruby groaned, eyes narrowing a bit.

"Believe me, I'm ready for that." The red gem groaned, visibly sweating as she took her first steps on the spiral stairs of the spire. She was stopped momentarily by the cool feeling of Sapphire's hand on hers.

"Are you sure about that?" the concern in the blue gem's voice was moving, "I could meet with her instead. You don't have to confront her, you know." Ruby blinked, letting her fingers interlace with her blue friend's.

"Thanks, but…. Just you being there will be enough." She smiled softly, slowly ascending the stairs with Sapphire by her side, "I want to finish this thing together, you know?" the blue gem nodded, a slight blue blush spreading across her face as she turned to look over the exterior of the spire.

" _We feel the same way then."_ She pondered, recalling the way she felt when she decided to share in whatever Ruby's fate would be. As the stairs wound higher and higher past sculptures and lecture halls, Ruby's anxiety waxed and waned between small haggard breaths. Finally, they reached the door of Jasper's assigned office; Ruby braced herself with a short breath. She nodded to Sapphire, who slowly, gracefully pushed aside the thin metal door. Inside, Jasper was crouched over battle formations; to Ruby she somehow seemed even more furiously unstable as she moved pawns in frustration, trying to work around a multi-pronged offensive. On either side of the door were two citrine guards; stoic and mute but ever vigilant.

"Get out. Can't you see I'm busy here?" the orange gem grunted, not looking up from her designs. Ruby pursed her lips, and stepped forward into the dimly-lit room.

"General Jasper, sir?" her quiet croak caused Jasper's head to snap up, "We were sent here to-"

"How dare you?" the general stood, towering over Ruby and Sapphire, "after ten days, you have the gall to slink in here."

"Jasper, there was-" Ruby croaked as Jasper stormed over, eyes full of rage and fists balled.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't feed you to the crystal shrimp!" she roared, fist flying forward. Her momentum was only barely stayed when she found Sapphire had moved in front of her usual red punching bag. Her glare was stony, enough to make even the maddest brute gem take pause.

"I believe I can give you a good deal many reasons why you should spare Ruby." She softly growled as Jasper's fist pulled away, though it was nearly as large as her head, "in fact, I believe you owe her some commending."

"I'm listening, Seer gem." Jasper squinted down at her. She sighed, straightening out her dress a bit as she recalled details.

"Ruby has gone above and beyond in this escort mission. When the warp pad to the sea spire was inoperable, not only did she guide me through the wilds of earth but she put my comfort and safety above her own at all times. She has faced off against men, wolves, and what I have assessed to be an 'auroch' and endured the most extreme of physical and emotional stresses to deliver me safely. In my opinion she exemplifies the best of what a brute gem can be." Ruby balked, glowing with a sudden sense of pride. Even with Sapphire stretching the truth, she had a lot to feel proud for. Jasper's eyebrow was raised with uncertainty, and yet after a moment she nodded.

"Huh, that story checks out I guess." She took the mission report and ambled to her desk, "I guess you really do have it in you, Ruby. Consider yourself front infantry."

Ruby balked for a moment, "uh, actually…"

"I was hoping to request a permanent assignment of Ruby as my own personal guard, actually." Sapphire chimed in, sparing her friend her inability to explain her change of heart.

"Yeah, that. We uh…. Work well together." The Red gem stammered. Jasper looked up, then shrugged.

"Whatever I guess, guard assignments are in room-" Jasper trailed off as she looked closely at the two gems. Then Ruby, then her burlap shawl.

"What… are you wearing?" Jasper's voice was flat, and incredulous. Ruby gulped and stumbled a bit, eyes darting between Jasper, her guards, the door and her Sapphire.

"What this?" the red gem laughed softly, "Just something I, uh, found on my travels. I think it looks good on me." Ruby quickly turned to leave, only to find the citrine guards had moved to block the door, as if compelled by an unspoken command.

"Take it off. You look ridiculous." The orange gem compelled, causing both of the small gems to quail a bit.

"Why should she?" Sapphire demanded, once again putting herself between Ruby and Jasper, "there are no rules against keeping foreign memorabilia that is non-hazardous." To this the general moved closer, a scowl growing across her face.

"It's suspicious. This squirt **would** pick up some earth material to hide something." He gave a nod, and one of the guards forcefully yanked the cape away, dragging Ruby to her knees. The glow of the corruption filled the room, and the citrine that unveiled her jerked away in horror.

"w-we can explain!" Sapphire kneeled beside Ruby protectively, even as Jasper began to process the information before her.

"You… you were going to infect us all, weren't you squirt?" she scowled, marching towards them, "you were waiting to turn until you got here, and then you were going to infect everyone, right? I expect this sort of chemical warfare from that psycho Galena, but the rebels too?"

"No!" Sapphire howled as ruby coughed, the veins finally reaching, "it's not like that, this was an accident-"

"RESTRAIN THE SAPPHIRE!" Jasper yelled, as the two citrines struggled to separate the mournful blue gem from her friend, "and as for you, I'm going to show you what happens to gems that betray the empire."

"S-Sapph-" Ruby choked out just in time for Jasper to kick her full force into the office wall. Sapphire let out a pained gasp as tears started to stream down her face, yet try as she might she could not struggle away from the grip of the citrines. As Ruby struggled to get to her feet, Jasper let out another kick; each blow willed the veins of corruption closer and closer to her gem.

"Come on already," the orange gem grunted as she throttled the now limp Ruby, "retreat in to your gem so I can finally, FINALLY, smash you!" Jasper was poised to deliver one final kick when the door to her office slammed open. Every gem in the room, even Ruby in her immense agony, turned to face the empty doorway. There was no sign that anything had opened the heavy metal door, though it stood wide open. Jasper stared at it wearily, but then sighed.

"The wind," she drew her leg back again, "one of you better close th-" at that moment, her foot seemed to be drawn backwards by an invisible force and the door slammed shut on its own.

"w-what?" one of the citrine's muttered, only for a black knife to emerge from its chest, causing the other to drop Sapphire and attempt to defend herself. This proved in vain when a dusty brown gem appeared from nowhere and cut her down with twin chakram.

"I've got the door, hurry!" she called, pinning her thin frame against the door to brace it. Jasper scrambled to her feet to push her aside, only to be intercepted by another mysteriously-appearing gem; this one was large and light-blue and grinning proudly.

"Hi Jaspie." She bellowed, sucker-punching the general in the gut hard enough to force her to retreat into her gem. She then laughed, and then gave a thumbs-up to a black gem materializing across the room, "perimeter's clear."

"Obsidian is already sorting the documents, patience." The black gem replied, throwing open drawers and scanning papers. From the floor, Ruby and Sapphire each looked at the intruding gems with bewilderment. Sapphire cautiously crawled across the floor towards Ruby, which caught the attention of the tawny door gem.

"Turquoise, there's two more targets on the floor." Though she was a mental gem, her words to the big and likely brute gem were patient and even toned. Even more shocking, the blue gem scoffed in response.

"C'mon, these two are harmless," she squatted between Sapphire and Ruby, out of pure ignorance of the situation, "you saw how Jasper was wailing on… this one." The large cyan gem's eyes studied Ruby intently, causing her to tense in expectation of more pain.

"Topaz, look at her." The blue gem rubbed her gem; a huge blue and brown rock encapsulating her jaw. The Topaz sighed, her lips pursed with fear and caution.

"Yes, she's infected. Be careful near her, and we should-"

"But no, the fountain!" the Turquoise insisted, "I bet you anything at this stage the fountain could work on her. We have to try it!"

"That's not at all part of our mission." The Topaz responded flatly, but was showing clear signs of intrigue.

"Look, we've got the documents. How would this hurt our mission? This may be our only chance to try this." The cyan gem's eyes pleaded to the brown gem, who was now rubbing her own gem on her cheek, seeming puzzled.

"Well… what do you think, Obsidian?" she asked the black gem flitting through the documents on Jasper's desk. She looked over briefly and shrugged her broad shoulders.

"Obsidian has no qualms with this plan. If you may carry her, Obsidian will consent to this." With that she gathered together a stack of documents under each arm, "we shall go now." Sapphire watched as the larger blue gem wrapped her Ruby in the remains of the burlap; a new sense of dread building inside her.

" _I suppose these are rebels… Oh Ruby, what are they going to do to you?"_ as the Turquoise lifted an utterly defeated looking Ruby, she found the strength to clear her voice enough to gain the leaving rebels attention.

"I- I won't just let you take her." The small blue gem quaked, the eyes of the rebels caught on her, "if you take her- y-you have to take me too."

The three rebel gems shared a look; the turquoise was sporting a bemused grin and the Topaz and Obsidian had an identical nonplussed expression, the latter casually handed the former the report stacks.

"Ok." The three responded, as the stocky black gem lifted Sapphire. She squeaked in surprise, but met eyes with Ruby's; full of confusion and anxiety.

"You two stay quiet, alright?" the Topaz whispered, just as the soldiers of the spire began banging on the door behind her. She nodded to the Obsidian. She took a deep breath and with a pulse Ruby and Sapphire found themselves, and the rebels, completely invisible. The door swung open and the guards poured into the room, barking orders and searching high and low for the intruders. The two small gems found themselves being carried out the door, seemingly dancing past the brute gems. As they slowly weaved their way down the stairs, past flurries of confused soldiers and generals, it seemed like a clear shot to the main warp hub of the spire.

Until a familiar grey gem blocked their path at the top of the stairs; her grey eyes burrowed into them before she laughed and produced a white powder from one of her bags.

"Well, you must be those spies all this fuss is over." Galena laughed, and threw the powder onto the rebels, coating them all in a layer of white film they could not shake clean. She then began to draw her syringe.

"Fancy me, delivering no less than five rebels to the authority. Or maybe I could divvy you up into test subject- wait, what are you doing?" she was addressing the Turquoise, who was filling her lungs with air. Just as Galena and a few other guards moved into range to strike her down she blew them aside with gale-force winds.

"Come on, we don't have much time now!" she led the other three gems down the stairs, towards the base of the spire. They were immediately cut off by a wall of citrines from the main warp hub.

"Obsidian would like to remind you all that we're being surrounded." In a moment of huddled trepidation, Sapphire placed her hand on Ruby's.

"There's still the Auxiliary warp." The topaz turned towards the nine-foot drop between their position and without hesitation leapt gracefully towards it, which the obsidian and turquoise promptly followed. As the guards tried to close the distance on them, a warp pad came into view at the edge of the courtyard. As the few guards of the auxiliary warp closed in to block them off, Turquoise shifted Ruby to one arm and summoned a dark brown staff from her gem.

"Tell General Emerald I said hi." She smirked, knocking them aside into a cloud of yellow smoke. The rebels crowded onto the warp pad and as they warped away to safety they watched the empire forces attempt to interrupt the stream in vain. Within a few minutes, they found themselves in a field half a world away, and Obsidian and Turquoise promptly set Ruby and Sapphire down and pounded the warp pad into dust. Topaz stood aside, sorting through the papers they had taken.

"I… can't believe we did it. Decades of planning, and we did It." She locked eyes with Turquoise, who had a wistful grin on her face. She rushed over and lifted the brown gem, spinning her and laughing.

"You bet we did it babe! Mission ACCOMPLISHED!" the blue gem hooted as her ally blushed and laughed along with her. Obsidian gave a little eye roll before returning to the warp pad's destruction. In the lull of the moment, Sapphire crawled to Ruby's side.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, hand caressing her covered shoulder. Ruby leaned up a bit, wincing in pain.

"I'm stable anyway." She gave a brief smile, but then watched the rebel gems. Something in this moment caught her off guard; these rebels were certainly braver and kinder than any propaganda reports she had been exposed to.

"Does this make us rebels now?" the little red gem asked her friend, who had also taken up watching the rebel gems.

"Perhaps we are." She sighed, her vision misting over with time, "But you know what? The rebellion, as of now, has a chance of winning the war."

"Really?" Ruby asked, mild surprise on her face.

"Yes… it's small, but the intelligence they gathered can turn the tide of the war in their favor." Sapphire wrapped her arms around Ruby; in the uncertainty surrounding their frightening, stressful and confusing day they took comfort that they were still together.

- **END PART 1** -


	11. Chapter 11: Bed, Bath and Briefing

Part 2: The War

Chapter 1: Bed, Bath and Briefing

Turquoise set down her companion, and turned to face the two small gems; her grin radiating playfulness. She was clearly an early-emerger among other turquoises, tall and strong but with the dexterity-based build of standard turquoises; her brown hair despite being tied back in a ponytail hung in a long plume. Most unusual of all her outfit seemed to emulate the human clothing Ruby and Sapphire had seen: a combination of a brown sleeveless vest, leather britches and moccasins.

"So, welcome to the team you two. I'm Turquoise, this here is Smoky Topaz but we just call her Topaz." The Topaz waved, still blushing from earlier. She was small and thin compared to Turquoise but twice as big as Ruby nonetheless; her hair fanned out just below her jawline, and just like Turquoise her grass-like skirt and simple cloth top emulated human clothing conventions.

"And I think it's obvious that she's Obsidian." Turquoise continued, gesturing to the third rebel.

"Obsidian suggest you attempt to bite her." The black gem responded curtly, continuing to pummel the warp pad. Her design seemed unchanged from Homeworld's standard, simple garb for other obsidians; yet unlike the standard her white hair had been reformed into an even fan from the top of her head to her shoulders.

"I'm Sapphire," she stood, offering her hand to Turquoise to shake, "and this is Ruby." Ruby slowly got to her feet, carefully avoiding any potential strain.

"Yeah, hi." After shaking her hand Turquoise turned to address Ruby.

"Now, our movement strategies required we build this warp pad a way out from the fountain, so it's going to be a bit of a jog. You up for that Ruby?"

The little red gem nodded, and the two smaller gems followed Turquoise as she turned towards their path.

"Good, good." The taller gem nodded, her gait slow and casual but with a sense of power, "Now, if you're going to fight with us you've got a lot to learn. We'll get to it eventually, but right now we're going to cover basics."

"Like what?" Ruby asked, looking around at the myriad of plants with multicolored flowers this area had.

"Well, for starters you've got to get used to calling me, yourself and the rest of us Crystal Gems." The larger gem smirked wryly, "calling us rebels is doing a disservice to us. We're doing so much more than just rebelling."

"I see… for example, protecting human settlements?" Sapphire asked, going off an instinct one of her visions gave her.

"More or less," Turquoise scratched the back of her head, "sometimes we just rile them up into joining our fight. And sometimes…. Sometimes we just show up too late." She sighed, but felt Ruby place a reassuring hand on hers.

"We know what that's like." This reassurance was enough for Turquoise to nod and continue, pushing her own anguished memories aside.

"Anyway, while we're on the subject of names: you can't call our leader Blood Diamond. Ever." The emphasis she put on this was strong and deliberate, "She's Rose Quartz now, ok?" Ruby and Sapphire shared a look of shock and confusion. A gem renaming herself was unheard of, unprecedented by anything.

"I- why a quartz of all gems?!" Ruby couldn't believe that a Diamond would, if she were to rename herself, would choose a quartz gemsona; it seemed really disgraceful. Turquoise laughed heartily, like an oak in a windstorm.

"I knew you'd ask about that. You see: she doesn't buy the caste system. If a diamond is leading the movement, it's not as symbolically powerful as a quartz, now is it."

"And… Rose?" Sapphire added, smiling a bit at the thought that here perhaps she and Ruby would be allowed to be equals.

"Well, roses are an earth plant. They're soft and vibrant but- well, here's one." Turquoise snapped a pink rose of one of the bushes beside her and passed it to the two gems to look over, "And our Rose, it turns out, can control plants. So she took a liking to it."

"That explains a lot." Ruby thought, turning the plant over in her hands carefully to avoid its sharp spines. She smiled at Sapphire as she realized the same concept of equality between them.

"Anyways, what else… Oh yeah. If you join us, both of you have to fight. Every gem fights."

"How many of you are there?" Sapphire shook her head, "sorry, of us are there?" to this the large blue soldier rubbed her gem in thought.

"Hmm, well…. Including both of you, there are forty-seven Crystal Gems." To this Ruby's jaw dropped.

"F-forty-seven?!" she shook her head, "how has this rebellion been going on for so long?" Turquoise laughed again warmly as they rounded a corner.

"Only through a combination of tactics and boldness Homeworld can't kill off." With that the three entered a clearing where two gems were kneeling over ground level plants with red fruits coming off of them. One of them was obviously a pearl, yet she wasn't frozen in a hollow smile; she was concentrating and taking notes diligently. The other gem, a large being dressed in a white dress and engulfed in pink curls, worked with the fruits, shaping them. Behind them stood an ornate fountain; its top point was a stature carving of the pink gem, water flowing from its "eyes".

"That's her, isn't it?" Ruby asked, humbled at the sight of a true diamond. Turquoise nodded and stepped towards the two, coming into earshot of the Pearl.

"Growth rate seems to be good, samples at this level of development are particularly fibrous." The pearl glanced up briefly, not quite registering the approaching gems, "about a quarter of the strawberries show advanced signs of CORIUM INFECTION!" her reflexes took over and she summoned a spiraling spear, brandishing it at Ruby. The small gem flinched, more surprised that this pearl could summon her weapon with such confidence than afraid for her life. Turquoise casually tilted the tip of the spear away from her."Eaaaaasy Pearl. She's not too far gone yet."

Rose stood, staring curiously at the two gems her warrior had brought, "We found them in the Sea Spire. Permission to let this ruby soak in the fountain?"

"Why? It's not going to-" Pearl started, before feeling Rose's hand on her shoulder.

"Granted." The two stepped aside, clearing a path for Ruby, "this should be quite interesting."

Ruby turned her eyes from the former diamond toward the fountain, approaching it alone. As she reached it, she found the lip of the fountain was just out of reach; she struggled furiously, but not enough to exacerbate her infection, but ultimately in vain.

"Hold on, hold on." Sapphire rushed to her side and lifted her by her sides, lifting her enough to grip the edge.

"Ah, thanks Sapph." Ruby blushed and cleared the edge, easing into the oddly warm, salty water.

"No problem." Sapphire floated onto the edge and sat beside her. The other three gems approached them.

"Enjoying the tear bath Red?" Turquoise asked, as the water began to fizz with yellow foam.

"T-tears?" Ruby felt relief as her infection, and her injuries from Jasper, melted away. Rose Quartz laughed softly, seemingly pleased.

"This fountain is filled with my healing tears, and it looks like you're going to be fine." Both Ruby and Sapphire could not believe how much kindness was radiating off this once unstoppable monster of a gem. If this is what Homeworld believed to be unrepentant evil, then it was clear to both of them that they themselves were irredeemable in the eyes of Homeworld.

"B-Rose…. I think I want to be a Crystal Gem." She looked town at her hands as the last of the veins frayed away from her, the internal corruption receding. Sapphire stood up immediately, facing Rose.

"So do I... And, if possible, we'd like to be stationed together." Rose laughed softly, sharing a knowing look with Turquoise. She then lifted Ruby out of the water as the infection withered away, brushing off the denatured remains and setting her beside her Sapphire.

"Consider it done. Turquoise, could you take them to the camp?"

"Gladly Rosie." She gave a small salute and gestured to another warp pad, a ways away, "come on you two." As the two hopped down and followed her, they could hear Pearl muttering to herself.

"This is going to be a nightmare to clean…."

/

"Alright, here we are!" after a ways of walking through dense forest Turquoise pulled back a dense curtain of foliage to reveal a small encampment of gems. The structures were human-like, but with blatant insertion of gem technology such as gem scanners on the doors. The gems within the camp were alternately training for battle or chatting amongst one another. Turquoise scanned the inter-mixed tents and cabins, clicking her tongue a bit. "Which ones are still open…? Ah this one!" In three leaping strides the larger cyan gem closed in on an empty cabin; it was a touch taller than her and wide enough for the two small corundum's trailing her to fit, with room to spare.

"Hey, this is great!" Ruby stepped inside the enclosure, her face breaking into a grin, "this is so much better than the barracks of Homeworld, or the caves we've been stuck in."

"I liked the cave you made." Sapphire interjected, stepping in with her. Turquoise, in turn, stifled a laugh of recognition.

"Looks like you two are settled. I've got to go check in with-"

"Way ahead of you, dear." Topaz slipped out from behind the larger gem, giggling softly, "we've destroyed the warp pad and reported to Rose. Our tracks are covered until we get back to the humans."

"Humans?" Sapphire asked, tilting her head in just a way that Ruby's eyes stayed on her even as the focus of conversation shifted to Topaz.

"They're what 'men' prefer to call themselves. It clears up confusion." Topaz leaned in front of the unsuspecting Ruby, just as she snapped out of her bizarre trance, "Ruby, you're the first gem I've ever seen come back from a corium infection. Can you tell me how you wound up getting infecting in the first place?" Ruby blinked and sighed, memories of the encounter coming back slowly.

"Well… there was a river monster. No, it wasn't a monster, it was an infected gem. Sapphire and I took it down, and I tried to pick up the gem…." She wrung out her non gem hand, thankful the pain and corruption was gone. Topaz hummed in thought.

"I see, direct contact with an infected gem. I will remember that." She went to stand when Sapphire spoke up.

"We still have the gem, actually." Sapphire retrieved her ball of ice and set it on the ground before them. Topaz looked at it curiously, while Turquoise simply laughed.

"Ice-bubbling. Wait 'til Rose hears about that." Sapphire was unfazed, glancing at ruby and holding out her hand in an inviting gesture. Ruby caught on and let heat pour into her hand, holding it just above the surface of the ice. It melted away until the infected gem was just visible, but contained.

"As you can see, there are no physical signs of infection on the gem and- are you ok?" Sapphire had turned away from the gem in question just in time to see the icy grip of horror on Topaz and Turquoise's faces. The large blue gem breathlessly mouthed 'they found her' while the shaken brown gem lifted the half-melted ball hesitantly.

"w-where did you fight this monster, again?" she asked fighting to keep a straight face. The two small corundum's glanced at each other before Ruby chose to answer.

"I-it was inside a river at the edge of a huge cliff… outside of the Kindergarten." Topaz nodded in understanding, then worked on a weak smile.

"I… can I take this to Rose Quartz, please? We've been looking for her- it." The two gems nodded, and wordlessly the brown gem took the ice ball and nodded to Turquoise, leaving for the same path they had taken moments before.

"Well…. This has been some heavy stuff." The cyan gem cracked her neck, working her way back to her previously calm demeanor, "I was going to begin training you two tonight, but now I have a better idea."

"We're listening." Ruby leaned back against the wall of the cabin, where Sapphire found herself drawn to matching her pose on a subconscious level.

"Tomorrow night there's going to be a meeting between us and several human tribes on unifying to fight Homeworld forces, and to stop the Earth's destruction. And I want you two to come with us."

"I- why us?" Sapphire shifted her lean, blushing as she realized the uncanniness of her imitation, "Neither of us are experienced speakers. I don't think we'd offer much, if at all." To this Turquoise laughed deeply again.

"Maybe, but you two have a story to tell. Besides, I'm starting to think you two are good luck for the crystal gems." She winked at the two gems, turning away, "until then, you two get comfortable, ok? This is home for you two now." As Turquoise left, it took the two gems a moment to process this. Sapphire chewed her lip, staring at the wood and grass mat that contrasted her life of stone and finery on Homeworld. It wasn't bad, just…. Different. Meanwhile Ruby though of her life of regiments, cramped quarters and Jasper breathing down her neck. She laughed, because what gem wouldn't?

"Home…. We're home Sapphy." The red gem lifted the blue one, who after a brief squeak of surprise reciprocated both the laughter and the embrace. The two gems felt washes of warmth, of joy radiating from the cores of their beings. For a brief moment their forms grew blurry, only for the realization of how long and intense the hug was growing to shock them back apart.

"Ah, I think I got carried away." Ruby blushed, stepping back a bit.

"No, it's understandable." Sapphire ran her fingers through her hair, not letting on to the questions plaguing her mind, "you're… appreciating your freedom."

"You know it." Ruby smirked, settling on one side of the cabin, "and now I'm going to do what I've needed to for weeks." The red gem settled into the floor and nearly immediately fell asleep. Sapphire smiled softly at her friend's sleeping form, before settling into the other corner of the cabin, forcing herself to meditate before her odd thoughts and feelings surrounding Ruby threatened to drive her mad. Something was missing still, but try as she might the mental class gem could not think of what it could be.


End file.
